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-THE 



MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



BY ELDER B. H. ROBERTS, 

Author ok **OuTriiirH:s ok Socr^KsiASTiOAC History," **A New Witness for Qod,* 
**Thb Rise and Fali, ok Nauvoo," "Thb Gtospsr,," *'SDOOESsioir 

IN THE PSBSIDENOy," ETO. 



SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: 

GEORGE Q. CANNON & SONS CO., PUBLISHERS, 

J goo. 



''-7 



(R/. 



I -^.v\ 



PRKKACE. 



MY chief purpose in publishing this book, and the one 
which will immediately follow — "The Rise and Fall of 
Nauvoo" — is to place in the hands of the youth of the Latter- 
day Saints a full statement of the persecutions endured by the 
early members of The Church in this last dispensation, in the 
States of Missouri and Illinois, that they may be made ac- 
quainted with the sacrifices which their fathers have made for 
the' word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. And I 
indulge the hope that by becoming acquainted with the story of 
the suffering of the early saints, the faith of the Gospel will 
become all the more dear to the hearts of their immediate poster- 
ity and all the youth of Zion for many generations to come. 

I think without depreciating at all any other narrative of 
these events in our Church literature, I may claim that the 
story of the Missouri Persecutions in these pages is told more 
thoroughly than in any other of our present publications. This 
arises from the fact that this book deals with but a brief period 
in the history of The Church— from 1830 to 1838— and there- 
fore admits of such a consideration of details as could not pos- 
sibly be given to that period in any general history of The 
Church.- This detailed treatment of the subject, in the opinion 
of the author, is justified because of the very important events 
which the treatise covers, and also for the reason that it is a 
period of our history which has been very much misrepresented? 
upon which misrepresentations false accusations are made against 
The Church and its leaders to this day. Those who have thought 
themselves called upon to oppose, if not to persecute. The 
Church in later years, frequently attempt to justify their present 



IV. PREFACE. 

opposition by insinuating that The Church was driven from Mis- 
souri and Illinois for other reasons than adherence to an unpop- 
ular religion. The impression is sought to be created that it 
was for some overt acts against the State or National govern- 
ment, or for some offense against the spirit of American insti- 
tutions, or because The Church leaders "were determined to be 
a law unto themselves," in disregard of the rights of others. 

It is, in part, to correct these false statements, and guard 
our youth against the influence of such calumnious insinuations, 
that I tell this story of the Missouri Persecutions; not that the 
history in these pages is written for the purpose of glozing over 
the defects in the character of the early members of The 
Church, or to claim for them absolute freedom from errors in 
judgment, or actual sinfulness in conduct. I have not written 
what may be called "argumentative history," only so far as a 
statement of the truth may be considered an argument. After 
these pages are read I feel sure that no one will be able to 
accuse me of failing to point out the errors of the early mem- 
bers of The Church; indeed, I have been careful to call atten- 
tion to the complaints which the Lord made against their con- 
duct; the reproofs of his inspired servants; and the repeated 
warnings sent to them by the Prophet Joseph Smith concerning 
the results of their conduct if there was not a speedy repent- 
ance. 

In Appendices will be found accounts of these same per- 
secutions as told by writers of Missouri history. I quote these 
extracts from the ''History of Jackson County" published by the 
Union Historical Company of Kansas City, Missouri, 1881; the 
''History of Clay County^*' published by the National Historical 
Company, 1885; the "History of Daviess County," by D. L. Kort; 
the "History of Caldwell County" by Crosby Johnson ; and the 
"History of Missouri" published by the Union Historical Com- 
pany. While these alleged histories of the "Mormon War," 
"Mormons in Jackson County," "Mormon Exodus," etc., etc.. 



PREFACE. V. 

are contemptible for their distortion of facts and misrepre- 
sentations, the reader by having them at hand will at least have 
both sides of the story presented to him, and will be able by the 
means of comparison thus afforded, to judge where the truth of 
the matter lies; and it will contribute to the making of this 
book a valuable work of reference to the student of Church 
history. 

One other thing I ought to say in justice to myself, both 
in reference to this book and "The Rise and Fall of Nauvoo." 
Very much of the matter contained in the two volumes, indeed 
most of it, was published in a series of twenty-four articles 
some fifteen years ago, in The Contributor, under the respective 
titles now used. Since that time very extensive quotations have 
been made from those articles, sometimes with, but often with- 
out, acknowledgement of the authorship; and to such extent has 
this been the case, that I feel it necessary to make mention of 
it, that I myself may not be charged with using the matter pre- 
pared by others, when in reality I am but using my own. Hav- 
ing called attention to this subject, I feel that it will not be out 
of place to say something further upon it. The fault, not to 
say literary crime, of plagiarism is by far too common. Some 
men who would never think of stealing a man's property, or 
even of using it without his permission, sometimes do not hesi- 
tate in public speech or in written articles or books to take all 
sorts of liberties with another's writings, quoting without ac- 
knowledgement not only sentences and paragraphs, but whole 
pages, and often page after page. And thus they bedeck them- 
selves, not with "old, odd ends stolen out of Holy Writ," but in 
borrowed phrases and sentences — the fruits of another's re- 
search and thought and genius, if the writer from whom they 
steal possesses any. It is true that plagiarism is not a crime 
under the law. A man, if he so elects, may steal both the ideas 
and the literary construction of another, without fear of fine or 
imprisonment, but no writer or speaker worthy of respect would 



VI. PREFACE. 

be found pilfering the thoughts or expressions of another, any 
more than a self-respecting, honest man would be found with 
stolen goods upon his back. Gradually there is being built up 
in The Church a very considerable, and stately literature, histori- 
cal, doctrinal and poetical; and for one I hope to see it, first of 
all, of a character that will be in harmony with the great Di^ 
pensation of the Gospel which it celebrates, that is, that it be 
honest. 

The Author. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 
The Facts in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 

Its Origin 9 

CHAPTER II. 

The Mission to the Lamanltes 24 

CHAPTER in. 

In Search of Zlon 38 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Land and the City 47 

CHAPTER V. 
Settlement of the Saints In Missouri— Their Errors— Reproofs and Warn- 
ings 54 

CHAPTER VI. 

Storm Clouds 69 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Storm Breaks 82 

CHAPTER VHL 

Threats of the Moh— Appeal of the Saints 88 

CHAPTER IX. 

Again the Storm 96 

CHAPTKR X. 

The Passively Good 99 

CHAPTER XI. 

A "Bloody Day" 101 

CHAPTER XII. 

The "Honor" of a Moh 105 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Scenes on the Banks of the Missouri— Exiled 108 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Aftermath of the Expulsion Ill 

CHAPTER XV. 

An "Attempted Vindication" of Law 114 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Cause of Expulsion— Future Redemption 122 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Importuning at the Feet of the Judge— the Governor— the President 125 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Zlon's Camp 128 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Zelph 135 

CHAPTER XX. 
Dissensions in the Camp » 136 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Views Concerning Zlon— Moh vs. Storm 139 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Negotiations . . . ^ 143 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
The Threatened Judgment— If— ! 148 



Tin. CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Attempt at Arbitration 152 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The Pros and Cons of Arbitration Proposition 159 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

An Interim— Blighted Hopes 163 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Peaceful Exodus from Clay County ,..168 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Far West 174 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

The Fall of David Whltmer and Oliver Cowdery 179 

CHAPTER XXX. 

The Apostasy «.t Klrtland 184 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Adam-ondl-Ahman 187 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

The Fourth of July, 1838 192 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Klrtland Camp 194 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Gallatin 196 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Boggs In Action— Defense Construed into Offense 201 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

De Witt 207 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Millport 2 13 

CHAPTER XXXVIU. 

Crooked River 217 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Exterminating Order of Governor Uoggs 227 

CHAPrER XL. 

Haun's Mill 282 

CHAPTER XLI. 

The Betrayal of Far West 238 

CHA1*TER XLII. 

Sad Scenes at Far West .' 246 

CHAPTER XLin. 

A Prophet's Rebuke 252 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

^•A Strong Point for Treason" 258 

CHAPTER XLV. 

Exodus from Missouri 261 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

Again the Passively Grood— Petitions 265 

CHAPTER XLVn. 

The Escape of the Prophet from Missouri 270 

(;hapter xlviii. 

A Prophecy that did not Fall 278 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

A State's Shame 281 

APPENDICES. 
•**Mormons" In Jackson County, etc 285 



THE 



MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE FACTS IN WHICH THE CHURCH OP JESUS CHRIST OP LATTER- 
DAY SAINTS HAD ITS ORIGIN. 

THE story of the persecutions endured by. the Latter-day 
Saints in Missouri, one of the sovereign States of the 
United States of Anierica, properly begins with the advent of 
a mission to the Lamanites,* at Independence, Missouri, in the 
winter of 1830. But in order that those not acquainted with 
the history of The Church may understand how there came to 
be a mission to the Lamanites in 1830, and how there came to 
be a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be perse- 
cuted, I think it proper to state briefly those facts in which The 
Church had its origin. 

I know the story has often been told — so often indeed that 
all novelty in relation to it has long since passed away. But in 
history there are certain foundation facts that are as essential to 
the right understanding of some particular phase of history as 
the employment of the first principles of the science of mathe- 



*American Indians. 



10 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

matics is to the solution of some particular problem in algebra; 
and the historical writer is as much bound to state those foun- 
dation facts as the mathematician is to use the first principles 
of his science in the solution of his problem. 

In the present instance, however, though I deem it neces- 
sary to tell again such a well known story as the rise of The 
Church, I shall attempt no embellishment of it; nor shall I deal 
with the religious condition of the world at the time of the 
origin of The Church with any view to establish the probability 
of the story; nor stop to call attention to the reasonableness 
and strength of it; nor the evidences of its truth, or necessity, 
although the temptation to do this is always strong whenever 
the facts of that story are passed before me in review. I shall 
content myself on this occasion with a mere statement of the 
facts, such as an annalist might make, without any further con- 
sideration of them whatsoever; and this because such a state- 
ment will serve. my present purpose. 

Joseph Smith, the man who, under the direction of God, 
was the founder of The Church, was bom at the little village of 
Sharon, Windsor County, in the State of Vermont, on the 23rd 
of December, in the year of our Lord 1805. 

When he was ten years of age the Smith family moved from 
Vermont to the State of New York, settling in Palmyra, Wayne 
County. Four years later the family moved a few miles south 
to the town of Manchester, Ontario County. 

Here, in the spring of 1820, a great religious revival agi- 
tated the community, and Joseph Smith was much affected by it. 
- In the course of this religious excitement he was much per- 
plexed over the discussion and strifes of the different Christian 
sects, and often wondered how it was that the Church of Christ 
could be so divided into contending factions. "I found," he said 
some years later when writing his recollections of those early 
days of his religious experience — "I found that there was a 
great clash in religious sentiment; if I went to one society they 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 11 

referred me to one plan, and another to another — each one 
pointing to his own particular creed as the summum honum of 
perfection. Considering that all could not be right, and that God 
could not be the author oT so much confusion, I determined to 
investigate the subject more fully, believing that if God had a 
Church it would not be split up into factions, and that if he 
taught one society to worship one way and administer in one 
set of ordinances, he would not teach another principles which 
were diametrically opposed."* 

In the midst of these perplexities Joseph's attention was 
called to the first chapter of the epistle of James, where it is 
written: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that 
giveth to all men liberally, and unbraideth not; and it shall be 
given him." 

This instruction the youth determined to follow, and accord- 
ingly repaired to a sebret place in the woods near his father's 
house, where he called upon God for wisdom. 

While so engaged he was seized upon by some power of 
darkness which threw him violently to the ground, and it seemed 
for a time that he was doomed to sudden destruction. It was 
no imaginary power, but some actual being from the unseen 
world who thus seized him. His tongue for a time was bound 
that he could not speak; darkness gathered about him; but, 
exerting all his powers, he called upon God to deliver him out of 
the hands of his enemy, and at the very moment he was ready 
to give up in despair and abandon himself to destruction, he 
beheld a pillar of light immediately over his head descending 
towards him. Its brightness was above that of the sun at 
noonday, and no sooner did it envelop him than he was freed 
from the enemy who had held him in his power. 

When the light rested upon him he beheld within it two 



* From a letter to Mr. John Wentworth, written in 1842. Mr. 
Wentworth at the time was the editor of the Chicago Democart, 



12 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

personages standing above him in the air, whose brightness and 
glory defied all description. They exactly resembled each other 
in form and features. One of them, pointing to the other, said: 
"Joseph, this is my beloved Soji, hear him." 
As soon as the youth gained his self-possession, he asked 
the personage to whom he was thus introduced, which of all the 
religious sects was right, that he might join it. 

He was answered that none of the sects were right; that 
their creeds were an abomination to God; that their professors 
were corrupt; that they drew near to God with their lips but 
their hearts were far removed from him; that they taught for 
doctrine the commandments of men; that they had a form of 
godliness but denied the power thereof; and he was strictly com- 
manded, to join none of them: but was informed that at some 
future time the fullness of the Gospel would be made known to 
him.* 



* Letter to Mr. John Wentworth, 1842. 

I cannot refrain at this point from calling attention, at least in a 
foot note, to the importance of this great vision which lies at the very 
foundation of what the world calls "Mormonism.** 

At a glance it gives the reason for the existence of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and also the reason for the procla- 
mation of the new dispensation of the Gospel it presents to the world. 

It makes known the awful fact that the Gospel was not on the 
earth at that time; that none of the churches were acknowledged Of 
God as his; that divine authority to preach and administer the ordi- 
nances of salvation was not among men. Therefore if men were to 
have the Gospel of Jesus Christ it must be restored from heaven; the 
Church of Christ must be again established; divine authority must be 
renewed. 

Moreover, this splendid vision dispelled the vagaries that men 
had conjured up in respect to the person of Deity. Instead of being 
a personage without body, parts or passions, it revealed the fact that 
he had both body and parts, that he was in the form' of man, or, rather, 
that man had been made in his image. 

The vision clearly proves that the Father and Son are distinct 



THE MISSOURI PEHSECUTIONS. 



13 



This heavenly visitatioE Joseph Smith related to majiy of his 
acquaintances, including some sectarian ministers, who generally 
disbelieved his story and ridiculed Mm for telling it; all said in- 
spired dreams and revelations from God were no more to be ex- 
pected. 

After an interval of three years Joseph Smith again received 
a heavenly visitant. On the 21st of September, 1823, after hav- 
ing retired to his chamber, he betook himself to prayer, seeking 
to know his standing before the Lord. While so engaged his 
: room began to be filled with beautiful lights in the midst of which 
^ he beheld a personage w^ho announced himself to he Moroni, one 
of the ancient prophets of the western hemisphere, now raised 
from the dead, and made an angel of God. He said he was sent 
from the Divine Presence to reveal the existence of an ancient 
record engraven upon plates of gold, giving an account of the 
origin of the American Indians; of God's hand-dealings with 
their forefathers; of the rise and fall of their civilization; of the 



personSjEnd not one person as the Christian world believes. The one- 
ness of the Godhead J so frequently spoken of in scripture ^ must there- 
fore relate to oneness of sentiment and agreement in purpose — to 
likeness. 

The great revelation swept away the rubbish of human dogma, 
tradition and speculation that ha<l accumulated in all the ages since 
Messiah's personal ministry on earth, by announcing that God did not 
acknowledge any of the sects of Christendom as his Church, nor their 
creeds as his gospel. Indeed, the Lord himself declared that they 
taught for doctrine the commandments of men. Thus the ground was 
cleared for the planting of the truth. 

The vision showed how mistaken the Christian world was in 
claiming that all revelation had c^ised — that God would no more 
reveal himseU to man. 

The vision created a witness for God on the earth » a man lived 
who could say to some purpose that God lived and that Jesus was the 
Christ, for he had seen and talked with them. Thus was laid anew 
the foundation for faith in God. — Robots. 



14 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among them after his resurrec- 
tion from the dead; and of the establishment of the Christian 
religion and the Church of God in their midst. 

Joseph Smith was also informed that this record was con- 
cealed in a hill not far distant; and that with it would be found 
a Urim and Thummim,* consisting of two stones fastened in sil- 
ver bows attached to a breast-plate, by means of which the 
record could be translated through the power of God. The 
Prophet then beheld in a vision the hill where the plates were 
hidden. 

When this vision was passed the angel quoted a number of 
ancient prophecies relating to the gathering of Israel in the 
last days, and the judgments of God upon the wicked, all of 
which he declared would soon be fulfilled.t The angel visited 
him three times during that same night, repeating to him each 
time the message he first announced. 

The next day Moroni again appeared to him when he was 
crossing a field, and announced to him once more thamessage of 
the night before, and instructed thejouth to make a confidant of 
his father, Joseph Smith, Sen., and make known to him the 
visitations he had received and the things revealed, which the 
youth promptly and gladly did, and from that hour received con- 
solation and encouragement from his father. 

The same day, namely, 22nd of September, 1823, Joseph 
Smith went to the place where the record was deposited — called 
by Moroni, Cumorah — and there in a rude stone box, the crown- 



* Those who would be informed concerning the Urim and Thum- 
mim and its use among the ancients, should consult the following 
scriptures: Ex. 28: 30; Lev. 8: 8; Deut. 33: 8; Ezra 2: 63; Neh. 7: 65; 
Num. 17: 21; I Sam. 28: 6. 

t The passages quoted are as follows: Malachi, part of chapter 3. 
(most likely the first part); Malachi, chapter 4; Isaiah 11; Acts 3: 22, 23; 
Joel 2: 28-32. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 15 

ing cover of which he could see above the surface of the hill- 
side, he found the record, together with the Urim and Thummim. 

Moroni appeared to him again while he was viewing the 
sacred treasure, and forbade him taking the plates from their 
place of concealment, as the time had not yet come for him to 
take possession of them. He was required to meet the angel at 
that place in one year from that time, and from year to year, 
until the time should come for the record to be given to him for 
translation. 

These annual visits at Cumorah continued until the 22nd of 
September, 1827, when the plates were committed to his keep- 
ing with instructions to translate them. He received a strict 
commandment to show them to no man, except such as God 
would appoint to see them, and bear witness of their existence 
and the truth of what they contained; nor was he to have any 
other object in view in obtaining and translating the record than 
the glory of God and the establishment of his Church in the 
earth. 

With the assistance of a man of the name of Martin Har- 
ris, and another of the name of Oliver Cowdery, the latter act- 
ing as his scribe, Joseph translated the record in about two 
years and a half, and published it at Palmyra, New York, early 
in the spring of 1830. 

The stone box in which the record had been preserved, and 
the record itself, iJt^i^ described by Joseph Smith: 

Convenient to the vL. j^ of Manchester, Ontario County, New 
York, stands a hill of considera?.*.^ sizej^nd the most elevated of any 
in the neighborhood. On the west side of ?Ms bill, not far from the 
top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the plates, deposited in 
a stone box. This stone was thick and rounding in the middle on the 
upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle part of 
it was visible above the ground, but the edge all round was covered 
with earth. Having removed the earth, and obtained' a lever, which 
I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion 



16 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

raised it up, I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the 
Urim and Thummim and the breast-plate, as stated by the messenger. 
The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in 
some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones 
crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates, and the 
other things with them.* 

These records were engraven on plates which had the appear- 
ance of gold; each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, 
and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engrav- 
ings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the 
leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. The 
volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which 
was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and 
beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many signs of 
antiquity in its construction and much skill in the ^rt of engraving.f 

The following is a summary of this interesting record as 
given by the Prophet in his letter to Mr. Wentwoxthr 

In this important and interesting book the history of ancient 
America is unfolded, from its first Settlement by a colony that came 
from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of Ian , • ^ 'J begin- 
ning of the fifth century of the Christie We are intc:'. d by 
these records that America in ancient ^.m^d had been inhabi^^*^*^ 
two distinct races of people. The first was called Jaredites and *'^ 
directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from 
the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred year«__ ■. -^ Christ. They 
were principally Israelites, of the descendaD*Ji^'^'^«oseph. The Jared- 
ites were destroyed about the time tha^f| isiaelites came from Je- 
rusalem, who succeeded them in the^ 7 . ieritance of the country. The 
principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of 
the fourth century (K, D.) The remnant are the Indians that now 
inhikbit this country. This book also tel us that our Savior made 
his appearance upon this continent after his resurrection; that he 
planted the gospel here in all its fullness, and richness, and power, 



* Millennial Star, Supplement to Vol. 14, p. 6. 
tl/etter to Mr. Wentworth. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



17 



an^ blessing; tbat they had apostles, prophets, paatora, teachers and 
evanglists; the same orden the same priesthood, the same ordinances^ 
gifts, powers and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; 
that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; 
that the last of their prophets who existed among them were commanded 
to write an abridginent of their prophecies, history, etc, and to hide it 
np in the earthj and that it should come forth and be united with the 
Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days. 

The Book of Mormon was not brought forth without serious 
opposition. The commandment not to show the plates to any- 
one except those w^hom God should appoint to be witnesses of 
their existence and their truth, necessarily enjoined secrecy upon 
Joseph Smith, and involved more or less of mystery in his move- 
ments; and yet it became necessary for some to know of hi shav- 
ing the records, or else how could be obtain the necessary assist- 
ance to translate them? These prohibitions upon the Prophet 
and the necessary secrecy they involved, gave rise to a perfect 
flood of misrepresentations and slanders; enemies pursued him 
at every turn; the vilest calumnies were circulated both with 
respect to himself and his family ; they ivere charged with the 
grossest ignorance, superstition, idleness, and all things that go 
to the making of vicious and low characters; and yet it is evi- 
dent from the testimony of those who personally knew them, 
that the Smiths, while poor, were nevertheless people of upright 
lives, kind neighbors, and good citizens. This is not said for the 
purpose of claiming for Joseph Smith exemption from many boy- 
ish follies, and the common weaknesses of humanity — the exist- 
ence of these weaknesses, in fact, he himself freely admits and 
deplores; and as much has been made of his own admissions on 
that head, I think It proper that what he has said upon the sub- 
ject should be given in full, and hence I republish here a letter 
of his to Oliver Cowdery which the Prophet wrote upon hearing 
that Cowdery, in 1834, was about to publish a series of letters 



18 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

on the subject of "Early Scenes in the Church." Following is 
the letter: 

Oliver Cowdery: 

DEA'k Brother: Having learned from the first number of the 
Messenger and Advocate, that you were not only about to "give a his- 
tory of the rise and progress of the Church of the Latter-day Saints," 
but that said history would necessarily embrace my life and character, I 
have been induced to give you the time and place of my birth; as I 
have learned that many of the opposers of those principles which I 
have held forth to the world, profess a personal acquaintance with me, 
though when in my presence, represent me to be another person in age, 
education, and stature, from what I am. 

I was bom (according to the record of the same, kept by my par- 
ents) in the town of Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, on the 23rd 
of December, 1805. 

At the age of ten my father's family removed to Palmyra, New 
York, where, and in the vicinity of which, I lived, or. made it my place 
of residence, until I was twenty-one; the latter part in the town of 
Manchester. 

During this time, as is common to most or all youths, I fell into 
many vices and follies; but as my accusers are and have been forward 
to accuse me of being guilty of gross and outrageous violations of the 
peace and good order of the community, I take the occasion to remark 
that, though as I have said above, "as is common to most, or all, youths, 
I fell into many vices and follies," I have not, neither can it be sus- 
tained, in truth, been guilty of wronging or injuring any man or 
society of men; and those imperfections to which I allude, and for 
which I have often had occasion to lament, were a light, and too often, 
vain mind, exhibiting a foolish and trifling conversation. 

This being all, and the worst, that my accusers can substantiate 
against my moral character, I wish to add that it is not without a 
deep feeling of regret that I am thus called upon in answer to my own 
conscience, to fulfill a duty I owe to myself, as well as to the cause of 
truth, in making this public confession of my former uncircumspect 
walk, and trifling conversation and more particularly, as I often acted 
in violation of those holy precepts which I knew came from God. But 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 19 

as the '^Articles and Covenants" of this Church are plain upon this 
particular point, I do not deem it important to proceed further. I 
only add, that I do not, nor never have, pretended to be any other than 
a man '^subject to passion," and liable, without the assisting grace of 
the Savior, to deviate from that perfect path in which all men are 
commanded to walk. 

By giving the above a place in your valuable paper, you will con- 
fer a lasting favor upon myself, as an individual, and, as I humbly 
hope, subserve tho cause of righteousness. 

I am, with feelings of esteem, your fellow-laborer in the Gospel 
of our Lord. Joseph Smith. 

It is clear from this letter that Joseph Smith, while acknowl- 
edging his imperfections, does not accuse himself of any dark 
crimes of a nature to disqualify him for his subsequently exalted 
station or the great work to which he was called. He goes no 
further than to confess to lightness and vanity of mind, result- 
ing in "a foolish and trifling conversation;" but even that, on 
account of his quick conscience and innocent life, occasioned him 
much remorse. 

While the Book of Mormon was in process of translation,name- 
ly, in May, 1829, the question of baptism came up between Joseph 
Smith and Oliver Cowdery. They repaired to the woods to inquire 
of the Lord concerning it, when an angel from heaven appeared 
to them and announced himself to be John the Baptist, of the 
New Testament, now raised from the dead, and sent to them by 
the Apostles Peter, James and John, under whose direction he 
acted, to confer upon them the Aaronic Priesthood.* Replaced 
}iis hands upon their heads and said: 

* Elsewhere the writer has said concerning this event: **When 
the work reached that stage of development that men could be taught 
repentance, and receive baptism for the remission of sins, who so quali- 
fied or who with more propriety could be sent t© deliver the keys of 
the priesthood that is especially appointed to cry repentance and 
administer baptism,than /A^ teacher of repentance and the Baptist?**— 
New Witness for God, p, 221, 



20 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer 
the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministration of 
angels and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism for the re- 
mission of sins, and this shall never be taken from the earth until the 
sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. 

They were then commanded to each baptize the other, which 
they did, and thus baptism for the remission of sins, under divine 
authority, was again commenced on earth. This ordination re- 
ceived under the hands of the angel gave them the right and 
power to preach the gospel, call men to repentance, and baptize 
them for a remission of their sins. This they began to do and 
in a short time quite a number had been baptized. 

Soon after this first ordination, namely, some time in the 
month of June, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were again 
visited by angels. The ancient Apostles Peter, James and John 
came to them on the banks of the Susquehanna River, between 
Harmony, Susquehanna County, and Colesville, Broome County, 
and conferred upon them the holy Apostleship, the keys of the 
higher or Melchisedek Priesthood, which gave them power not 
only to preach the gospel and administer baptism, but to lay on 
hands for the Holy Ghost, together with right to all the offices 
in The Church. This Priesthood gave them power to organize 
The Church, set in order the affairs thereof in all the world, and 
preside over it as God's representatives. 

The authority of God thus restored to earth, the way was 
prepared for the organization of The Church. Still the young 
men to whom had been entrusted these great powers waited 
further direction from the Lord, and did not proceed with so 
great an undertaking until he commanded them. 

At length the commandment came, and the 6th day of April, 
1830, was appointed as the day on which to effect the organiza- 
tion of The Church. A number of the people who had been bap- 
tized met with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, on the day 
appointed, at the house of Peter Whitmer, Sen., in Fayette, Sen- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 21 

eca County, New York, to effect that organization. The meet- 
ing was opened by solemn prayer, after which, according to 
previous instructions from the Lord, the Prophet Joseph called 
upon the brethren present to know if they would accept himself 
and Oliver Cowdery as their teachers in religion, and if they 
were willing that they should proceed to organize The Church 
according to the commandment of the Lord. To this the con- 
verts to the faith consented by unanimous vote. Joseph then 
ordained Oliver an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ; after 
which Oliver ordained Joseph an Elder of said Church. The 
sacrament was administered, and those who had been previously 
baptized were confirmed members of The Church, and received 
the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Some enjoyed the 
gift of prophecy, and all rejoiced exceedingly. 

While The Church was yet assembled a revelation was re- 
ceived from the Lord, directing that a record be kept, and that 
in it Joseph Smith be called a Seer, a Translator, a Prophet, and 
an Apostle of Jesus Christ, an Elder of The Church; and The 
Church was commanded to give heed to all his words and com- 
mandments which he should receive from the Lord, accepting 
his word as the word of God in all patience and faith. On con- 
dition of their doing this, the Lord promised them that the gateg 
of hell should not prevail against The Church; but on the con- 
trary he would disperse the powers of darkness before them, 
and shake the very heavens for their good. 

In addition to the ordination of Joseph and Oliver to be 
Elders in The Church, as stated above, other brethren were called 
and ordained to different offices in the Priesthood as the Spirit 
directed. "And after a happy time," says the Prophet, "spent in 
witnessing and feeling for ourselves the power and blessings of 
the Holy Ghost, through the grace of God bestowed upon us, 
we dismissed with the pleasing knowledge that we were now 
individually, members of, and acknowledged of God, The Church 
of Jesus Christ, organized in accordance with commandments and 



22 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

revelations given by him to ourselves in the last days, as well as 
according to the order of The Church as recorded in the New 
Testament." 

On Sunday, the 1 1th of April, the public ministry of The Church 
may be said to have begun. Oliver Cowdery on that day preached 
the first public discourse of the new dispensation then opening. 
Of the nature of the discourse we know little or nothing. The 
meeting was held by previous appointment at the house of Mr. 
Peter Whitmer, in Fayette, and was largely attended by people 
of the neighborhood, and the preaching was certainly successful, 
as upon the same day, and doubtless as a result of the explana- 
tions, teachings, doctrines and spirit of the discourse, a number 
came forward for baptism, and a few days later a number more 
— thirteen in all. And so the work grew and prospered. 

Fayette, in Seneca County, New York, and Colesville, Broome 
County, in the same State, were the centers of activity for The 
Church in those early days. In both places meetings were oc- 
casionally held, and baptisms were frequent, in the clear, beauti- 
ful waters of Seneca Lake. What historical associations will yet 
gather about these localities! Fayette! Seneca Lake! I venture 
to predict that these places will in the ages to come be as fa- 
mous as Capernaum and LakaGennesaret. The latter were the 
scenes of Christ's early ministry. The former the scenes of 
Joseph Smith's. The latter were identified with the Dispensation 
of the Meridian of Time. The former with the Dispensation of 
the Fullness of Times. Capernaum and Gennesaret are associ- 
ated with memories of the Christ, with Simon Peter, with John, 
with Andrew and Nathaniel, and Mary of Magdala. Fayette and 
Seneca with Joseph Smith, with Oliver, with David Whitmer, with 
Joseph Knight and Newel, his son, with Emily Cobum and others. 
Gennesaret was but the widening of the Jordan; Seneca but one 
of the river valleys once occupied and modified by the glaciers 
which in ancient times filled that land.* The site of the an- 



* Enc. Brit., Art. New York. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 23 

cient Capernaum is now unknown; so, too, the Fayette of our 
Church history is no more; but of the latter as of the former, 
and of Seneca as of Gennesaret it may be said: If every vest- 
ige of human habitation should disappear from beside it, and 
the jackal and the hyena should howl about the shattered frag- 
ments where Joseph once taught, yet the fact that he chose it 
as the scene of his ministry will give a sense of sacredness 
and pathos to its lovely waters till Time shall be no more. 

On the first of June The Church held its first conference as 
an organized body. At that conference — held in Fayette — more 
brethren were ordained to the various offices of the Priesthood; 
a number who had been baptized were confirmed; the sacrament 
was administered, and manj^ spiritual manifestations were enjoyed, 
such as beholding heavenly visions and prophesying. 

Thus The Church was organized and well started upon its 
career, the history of which was to be so thrilling; the success 
of which was to be so great; and the final victory of which over 
every opposing power is assured by the promises of God. 



24 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

CHAPTER II. 

THE MISSION TO THE LAMANITES. 

THE Book of Mormon, the coming forth of which has 
already been detailed, contains many promises to the 
Lamanites— that is, to the American Indians, whom it reveals to 
be the remnants of mighty nations that once inhabited the 
Americas, and also proclaims them to be descendants of the 
house of Israel. Their present fallen state arises from their 
departure from the ways of the Lord) and the instructions and 
doctrines of their ancient prophets; the very blackness of their 
skin is the result of God's curse upon them for th6ir unright- 
eousness; yet are they promised that they shall know their ori- 
gin — the favored race from which they are descended; it is 
promised that the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared 
among them, and they shall regard it as a blessing from the hand 
of the Lord; "and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall 
from their eyes, and many generations shall not pass away 
among them save they shall be a white and delightsome peo- 
ple."* It is promised that Zion, the New Jerusalem, shall be 
built upon the land of their fathers — the Americas — which, 
according to the Book of Mormon, is a land especially dedi- 
cated to the seed of Joseph, of Egyptian fame, the son of 
Jacob, "and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are 
the thousands of Manasseh;" and in this great work of building 
up the Zion of God, the Lamanites are assigned a special part, 
which will be a manifestation of God's favor towards them.t 



* II Nephi, chap. 30. 

fBook of Mormon, Ether 13, and III Nephi 20. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 25 

Very naturally, of course, those who accepted the Book of 
Mormon as true, possessed a lively interest in this people, that 
is, in the Lamanites; and anxiously looked forward to the com- 
mencement of the fulfillment of the words of their ancient 
prophets concerning them; and hence at the close of a conference 
held in the last days of September, and which also extended into the 
early days of October, "a great desire," says the Prophet, "was 
manifested by several elders respecting the remnants of the 
house of Joseph — the Lamanites residing in the west— know- 
ing that the purposes of the Lord were great to that people, 
and hoping that the time had come when the promises of the 
Almighty in regard to that people were about to be accom- 
plished, and that they would receive the gospel and enjoy its 
blessings. The desire was so great that it was agreed upon that 
we should inquire of the Lord as to the propriety of sending 
some of the elders among them, which we accordingly did."* 

The result of this inquiry was a revelation in which Oliver 
Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Parley P. Pratt and Ziba Peterson 
were called to go on a mission to the Lamanites who then inhab- 
ited the western states and the Indian Territory. On their 
journey westward the Indian missionaries stopped at Kirtland, 
Ohio, where they converted a number of people to the gospel, 
and organized a branch of The Church. 

It was here that Sidney Rigdon, a somewhat noted Camp- 
bellite preacher, resided and had a large following. These Camp- 
bellites, or Disciples of Christ, as they preferred to be called, 
were reformed Baptists: that is, in addition to believing that 
immersion is the only acceptable mode of baptism, they also 
taught that baptism, when preceded by true faith in God and 
sincere repentance, was "for the remission of sins;" and that 
forgiveness of sins really followed every proper baptism. It was 
on the occasion of this visit of the Indian missionaries to Kirt- 



* Millennial Star, (Supplement), Vol. 14, p. 44. 
2 



26 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

land, that Sidney Rigdon first heard of Joseph * Smith and 
Mormonism; and the first time he ever saw the Book of Mormon 
was when young Parley P. Pratt, himself formerly a Campbell- 
ite preacher, presented a copy of it to him to read. I think it 
important to make this statement here, because it has been 
asserted that Sidney Rigdon had much to do with producing the 
Book of Mormon; the theory of some being that it was he who 
stole from a printer in Pittsburg — a Mr. Patterson— a manu- 
script story written by a sort of harebrained, retired minister, 
of the name of Solomon Spaulding; and that, after making some 
changes in the text, he then connived with Joseph Smith to palm it 
off upon the world as a new revelation from God — a theory 
which, in addition to being absolutely untrue, always was inade- 
quate as an explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon, 
and is now quite generally abandoned, since the manuscript of 
Solomon Spaulding most unexpectedly came to light in 1884, 
verbatim copies of which have been widely published; the orig- 
inal now being in Oberlin College, in the State of Ohio. It 
needs only a perusal of the "Manuscript Found" to satisfy any- 
one that it never could in the remotest manner have suggested 
the Book of Mormon, or any part of it; while the fact that 
Sidney Rigdon knew nothing of the Book of Mormon until 
Parley P. Pratt presented it to him at Kirtland, Ohio, on the 
occasion above referred to, is a complete refutation of the idle 
stories that he was associated with Joseph Smith in writing the 
Book of Mormon. 

Sidney S. Rigdon was bom in St. Clair Township, Alleghany 
County, Pennsylvania, on the 19th of February, 1793, and was 
the youngest son of William and Nancy Rigdon. On his fa- 
ther's side his forefathers were English; on his mother's, Irish. 
In his youth and early manhood he followed the vocation of a 
farmer and tanner. At the age of twenty-five he became asso- 
ciated with a Baptist society, and possessing a natural gift of 
oratory he drifted into the ministry of that society. He seems 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 27 

to have been much in doubt as to the Baptist church possessing 
the fullness of the truth, and he at last severed his connection 
with it and joined in the reform movement inaugurated by one 
Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Virginia, founder of the church 
of the "Disciples," or "Christians." This new religious movement 
was very successful in what was called the Western Reserve, that 
region of country lying south of Lake Erie, and constituting the 
present State of Ohio. It derived its name. Western Reserve, from 
the fact that the State of Connecticut in ceding its claims upon 
western lands reserved to itself this magnificent tract for the 
purposes of a.school fund. Among the settlers on this Western 
Reserve, I repeat, the doctrines of faith, repentance and baptism 
for the remission of sins, preached by Alexander Campbell, Sidney 
S. Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt and others, as the cardinal doctrines of 
Christianity, and the means provided in the gospel for man's sal- 
vation, had great success. Sidney Rigdon's labors in this new 
ministry led him to settle at Kirtland, where he had a large con- 
gregation, the members of which, in addition to accepting the 
primitive faith and ordinances referred to above, were also try- 
ing to carry out that order of things incidentally mentioned in 
the early Christian writings,* namely, none of them said that 
which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in 
common. 

Such was the state of affairs in Kirtland, and with Sidney 
Rigdon, when Parley P. Pratt and his associates arrived there in 
the fall of 1830, and presented the Book of Mormon to him, 
and preached the gospel of the Dispensation of the Fullness of 
Times. 

Here it may not be amiss to speak a word with reference 
to the character of Sidney Rigdon. His subsequent prominence 
in The Church, both the good and the injury he did it, warrant 



* Acts 4: 32-37- 



28 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

my doing so, and will doubtless be a key to his conduct. That he 
possessed talents of an extraordinary nature goes without saying, 
especially in the line of public speaking. Few men in The Church, 
perhaps none, have possessed the gift of oratory to an equal 
degree; spontaneous, fervid, rapid, brilliant, captivating; abound- 
ing in flights of fancy, rich in coloring and original in its wealth of 
historical illustration, which his wide and various reading made 
possible. It can well be imagined how one so gifted would be 
useful in the work just beginning to come forth through the 
instrumentality of Joseph Smith— what a welcome the young 
Prophet would give to such a help-meet, and wh^t influence he 
would have in The Church then struggling into existence. The 
Prophet could receive the word of the Lord through the Urim 
and Thummim, and by the visitation of angels; but at that time 
he was evidently lacking in ability to expound it or show that 
what he brought forth was in harmony with the predictions of 
ancient prophets, a part of a great whole, and admirably dove- 
tailed into the general purposes and designs of God. Neither 
his powers of expression nor his historical information fitted him 
for this task. Whatever his abilities in the later years of his 
ministry, in the earlier days of it he was somewhat slow of 
speech. He was as Moses waiting for Aaron, and that Aaron, 
that spokesman, he found in Sidney Rigdon, and bade him wel- 
come. 

But talented as Sidney Rigdon was, moral, too, and spiritu- 
ally minded and sincere as we believe him to have been in these 
early days of his career, he possessed traits of character which 
neutralized to a very great extent his great abilities. He was 
vain of his talents; vainglorious of his importance; too proud of 
what he regarded as his sacrifices for the truth. The very quali- 
ties which made him brilliant prevented him from being pro- 
found. The fervid imagination which enabled him to clothe with 
such splendid imagery his speech, made him a dangerous man 
when called to act with reference to stem and often disagree- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 29 

able and prosy realities. He was constitutionally unsound. 
Remarkably gifted in one or two directions, he was markedly 
deficient in others. He was wanting in soundness of judgment, 
steadiness of purpose, a high sense of honor. He was moody, 
petty, jealous, selfish; and in a word, lacked that mysterious 
quality so well expressed by the phrase, "weight of character." 
But with all his imperfections he was useful, and for many years 
was faithful and devoted to the Prophet and the work of God. He 
was an instrument in the hands of the Almighty through whom 
was accomplished much good. He endured much for the truth's 
sake — ^persecution, poverty, imprisonment, mob violence, almost 
death. For such men, whatever may be their defects of character, 
— especially when such defects are constitutional, the effect of 
temperament — we can have but the kindest sentiments; and only 
make mention of such defects as they may have possessed in order 
to bring to pass a proper understanding of events with which they 
were associated. 

At Kirtland, Frederick G. Williams, who subsequently occu- 
pied an important station in The Church — counselor to the 
Prophet Joseph in the First Presidency — was also baptized. 
He volunteered to accompany the Indian missionaries on their 
journey westward. 

The Indian missionaries arrived at Independence, Missouri, 
in midwinter. Independence was then a frontier town; one of 
the outposts of Anglo-American advancement westward. It was on 
the line that divided our frontier from the possessions of the 
red man west of the great Missouri River; and it can be very 
well understood that its civilization was not of the highest 
order. Here had drifted many outcasts from society, and there 
was, at the time of which we are writing, very little regard for 
God, religion, refinement, or for civilization. As the Indian 
missionaries were destitute and weary from the extended jour- 
ney on foot through what, at that time, was at best but a 
sparsely-settled country, and very much of it wilderness — ^it was 



30 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

arranged that two of the company who had been tailors should 
obtain work at their trade in Independence, while the three 
others should cross the frontier line and enter the reservation 
occupied by the Shawnees and the Delaware Indians. 

The chief of the Delawares, who is described by Elder Parley 
P. Pratt as a "venerable looking man," and the "sachem of ten 
nations or tribes," called together some forty chief men of his 
people, and to these Oliver Cowdery delivered, in substance, the 
following message: 

Aged Chief and Venerable Council of the Delaware nation: We 
are glad of this opportunity to address you as our red brethren and 
friends. We have traveled a long distance from towards the rising 
sun to bring you glad news; we have traveled the wilderness, crossed 
the deep and wide rivers, and waded in the deep snows, and in the 
face of the storms of winter, to communicate to you great knowledge 
which has lately come to our ears and hearts; and which will do the 
red man good as well as the pale face. 

Once the red men were many; they occupied the country from 
sea to sea — from the rising sun to the setting sun; the whole land 
was theirs; the Great Spirit gave it to them, and no pale faces dwelt 
among them. But now they are few in numbers; their possessions 
are small, and the pale faces are many. 

Thousands of moons ago, when the red man's forefathers dwelt 
in peace and possessed this whole land, the Great Spirit talked with 
them and revealed his law and his will, and much knowledge to their 
wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a book; together with 
their history, and the things which should befall their children in the 
latter day£. 

This book was written on plates of gold, and handed down from 
father to son for many ages and generations. 

It was then that the people prospered, and were strong and 
mighty; they cultivated the earth; built buildings and cities, and 
abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do. 

But they became wicked: they killed one another and shed much 
blood; they killed their prophets and wise men, and sought .to destroy 
the book. The Great Spirit became angry, and would speak to 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 31 

them no more; they had no good and wise dreams; no more visions; 
no more angels sent among them by the Great Spirit; and the Lord 
commanded Mormon and Moroni, their last wise men and prophets, to 
hide the book in the earth that it might be preserved in safety, and be 
found and made known in the latter day to the pale faces who should 
possess the land; that they might again make it known to the red 
men; in order to restore them to the knowledge of the will of the 
Great Spirit and to his favor. And if the red men would then receive 
this book and learn the things written in it, and do according there- 
unto, they should be restored to all their rights and privileges; should 
cease to fight and kill one another; should become one people: culti- 
vate the earth in peace, in common with the pale faces, who are will- 
ing to believe and obey the same book, and be good men and live in 
peace. Then should the red men become great, and have plenty to 
eat and good clothes to wear, and should be in favor with the Great 
Spirit and be his children, while he would be their Great Father, and 
talk with them, and raise up prophets and wise and good men amongst 
them again, who should teach them many things. 

This book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth 
by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in 
the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario 
County. 

In that neighborhood there lived a young man named Joseph 
Smith, who prayed to the Great Spirit much, in order that he might 
know the truth; and the Great Spirit sent an angel to him, and told 
him where this book was hidden by Moroni; and commanded him to 
get it. He accordingly went to the place, and dug in the earth, and 
found the book written on gold plates. 

But it was written in the language of the forefathers of the red 
men; therefore this young man, being a pale face, could not under- 
stand it; but the angel told him and showed him, and gave him knowl- 
edge of the language and how to interpret the book. So he interpreted 
it into the language of the pale faces, and wrote it on paper, and 
caused it to be printed, and published thousands of copies of it among 
them; and then sent us to the red men to bring some copies of it to 
them, and to tell them this news. So we have now come from him, 
and here is a copy of the book, which we now present to our red 



32 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

friend, the chief of the Delawares, and which we hope he will cause 
to be read and known among his tribe; it will do them good. 

To these remarks the Indian chief made the following reply: 

We feel tnily thankful to our white friends who have come so 
far, and been at such pains to tell us good news, and especially this 
news concerning the book of our forefathers; it makes us glad in 
here, [placing his hand on his heart] . It is now winter, we are new 
settlers in this place; the snow is deep, our cattle and horses are 
dying, our wigwams are poor; we have much to do in the spring — to 
build houses, and fence and make farms; but we will build a council 
house, and meet together, and you shall read to us and teach us more 
concerning the book of our fathers and the will of the Great Spirit.* 

The interest awakened among the Indians by the brethren 
aroused the jealousy of sectarian missionaries who were also 
at work among this tribe. They falsely charged the Elders 
with disturbing the peace, and through their influence with the 
Indian agents, secured the banishment of the Mormon mission 
from the reservation. 

The Indian missionaries, after their banishment, met with 
their brethren at Independence, on the 14th of February, 1831, 
for consultation as to their future movements. It was finally 
agreed by the meeting that Parley P. Pratt should return to 
Ohio, and report their labors to the Prophet. Elder Pratt imme- 
diately set out upon this long journey, and after enduring much 
fatigue and sickness, he arrived early in the spring at Kirtland, 
where he found the Prophet Joseph Smith, to whom he reported 
the labors of himself and companions. 

How Joseph Smith came to be in Ohio at this particular 
time is of some interest. After joining The Church at Kirtland 
under the ministrations of Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt and 
others, Sidney Rigdon, in company with Edward Partridge (who 



♦Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ch. 8. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 33 

had not yet received baptism), determined upon a personal visit 
to the Prophet in New York. They arrived at Fayette, New 
York, early in the month of December, and soon thereafter the 
Prophet received revelations which must have been a source of 
great comfort to these brethren. Sidney Rigdon was declared 
to have been inspired of God and sent forth to prepare the way 
before the coming of the Lord and of Elijah, though he knew it 
not. He had baptized by water unto repentance, but those who 
received his ministrations did not receive the Holy Ghost; now he 
was called to a greater work, and was promised that the baptism gf 
the Holy Ghost, under his hands, should follow the baptism of the 
water, even as was the case with the apostles of old. He was 
commanded to tarry with Joseph Smith and assist him in writing 
and in counseling with him in relation to the great work that 
the Lord was bringing forth. 

Edward Partridge, who is described by the Prophet as a 
pattern of piety, one of the Lord's great men, and, like Nathaniel 
of old, a man in whom there was no guile, after some investiga- 
tion of the truth, was baptized by the Prophet in Seneca Lake, 
and was also called by revelation to the ministry. 

The addition of these brethren to The Church greatly 
strengthened the ministry; they preached almost daily, and were 
frequently engaged in receiving the word of the Lord by revela- 
tion and through the revision of the scriptures; for it had been 
made known that in consequence of imperfections in translation 
in some instances, and the omission of many plain and precious 
parts in other instances, the scriptures — the Old and New Testa- 
ments — were imperfect, and hence the necessity for the revi- 
sion. Finally the brethren received a commandment that after 
they had strengthened The Church in these parts, they should 
go to Ohio. The Church in New York was also commanded 
to gather to Ohio, which commandment, by the way, is the 
first one given to The Church to gather together in this 
dispensation. Obedient to this commandment, Joseph Smith, 



34 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

in company with Elders Rigdon and Partridge, and with his 
family, about the latter part of January removed to Kirtland, 
where he received a hearty welcome, and was there when Parley 
P. Pratt arrived from the west with his report of the labors 
of the Indian missionaries, as already stated. 

What effect this Indian mission report had upon the mind 
of the Prophet he has left no word to indicate; but that a deep 
impression was made upon him, and that he attached much im- 
portance to that mission, can scarcely be doubted, because of 
the mighty consequences which subsequently grew out of it. 

Since the departure of the Indian missionaries for the west 
a very great amount of knowledge had been revealed concerning 
the work of the Lord in the last days. Soon after the arrival 
of Sidney Rigdon at Fayette, in New York, as already related, 
work upon the translation of scripture was begun, and among the 
ancient scriptures that were revealed in the course of this work, 
was "The Prophecy of Enoch," which is alluded to in the writings 
of Jude,* in the New Testament. According to this "Prophecy 
of Enoch" the Lord revealed to that patriarch very much that 
would take place in the last days, among which is the following: 

And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as 
with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four quarters of 
the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, a holy city, that my 
people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of 
my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called 
Zion, a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch, then shall 
you and all your city meet them there, and we will receive them unto 
our bosom, and they shall see us, and we shall fall upon their necks, 
and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other, and 
there shall be my abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth 
out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a 
thousand years shall the earth rest.f 



*Jude 14, 15 and 16. 

t Prophecy of Enoch, Pearl of Great Price. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 35 

This is the city also spoken of in the Book of Mormon, to 
which reference before has been made.* 

Again, before the Prophet and his companions departed 
from Fayette, in the month of January, speaking of the provi- 
sions that he would make for the poor, the Lord said: 

I have made the earth rich; and behold it is my footstool, 
wherefore, again I will stand upon it; and I hold forth, and deign to give 
unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with 
milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord 
Cometh: and I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance* 
if you seek it with all your hearts. And this shall be my covenant 
with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for 
the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, 
and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.f 

After the Prophet's arrival in Kirtland, the branch of The 
Church there in the meantime having increased to about one 
hundred members, the elders of The Church were sent out into 
the surrounding country, two and two, to preach the gospel; and 
a promise of a future mission was given to them in which it 
was said: 

And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; 
and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you, ye shall 
build up my Church in every region, until the time shall come when 
it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the city of the New 
Jerusalem shall be prepared, that ye may be gathered in one, that ye 
may be my people and I will be your God.J 

Moreover, in the same revelation, something of the law un- 
der which the holy city is to be built up unto the Lord was 
revealed, of which we shall say more in the course of this 
history. 



* Page 24. 

t Doc. & Gov. Sec. 38. 

t Ibid Sec. 42. 



36 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

In the latter part of February a brief revelation was given, 
making known that it was the will of the Lord that the elders 
who had been sent out to preach in the regions round about 
should be called together; and this led to the appointment, of a 
somewhat notable conference of The Church that was called 
to meet on the sixth day of June ensuing. On the 7th of March 
(1831), the Lord gave a somewhat lengthy revelation setting 
forth the judgments that should come upon the generation in 
which this new dispensation of the gospel came forth, in the 
course of which it is said: 

Wherefore I, the Lord, have said, gather ye out from the east- 
em lands, assemble ye yourselves together ye elders of my Church; go 
ye forth into the western countries, call upon the inhabitants to re- 
pent, and inasmuch as they do repent, build up churches unto me; and 
with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may 
purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you, 
and it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of 
refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God; and 
the glory of the Lord shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will 
not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. 

And it shall come to pass, among the wicked, that every man that 
will not take his sword against his neighbor, must needs flee unto 
Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it out of every 
nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not 
be at war one with another. And it shall be said among the wicked* 
Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are 
terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.* 

For a time, however, both the saints who had come from 
New York in obedience to the commandment from the Lord, and 
also the saints in Ohio, were commanded by revelation to remain 
in Ohio for the present, the saints in the latter State being 
called upon to share their lands with their eastern brethren. 



* Doc. & Gov. Sec. 45. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 37 

'It must needs be necessary," continues the revelation, "that 
ye save all the money that ye can, and that ye obtain all that 
ye can in righteousness, that in time ye may be enabled to purchase 
land for an inheritance, even the city. The place is not yet to 
be revealed, but after your brethren come from the east, there 
are to be certain men appointed, and to them it shall be given 
to know the place, or to them it shall be revealed. And they 
shall be appointed to purchase the lands, and to make a com- 
mencement to lay the foundation of the city."* 

Thus it will be seen that considerable knowledge had been 
imparted to The Church concerning "Zion" during the absence 
of the Indian missionaries; and as all the revelations indicated 
that the location of Zion was in the west, very naturally the 
interest of The Church was intense concerning this Indian mis- 
sion operating on the very western borders of American civil- 
ization. 

This brings us to the before mentioned conf erence,appointed 
for the 6th of June, 1831. 



* Doc. & Gov. Sec. 48 



38 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER III. 

IN SEARCH OP ZION. 



THE conference of The Church appointed for the 6th of June 
assembled on that date, in Kirtland. It was an oc- 
casion of great importance. In what way it was done is not 
recorded, but the Prophet in speaking of the matter says: "The 
Lord displayed his power in a manner that could not be mistaken." 
He further recounts that the Man of Sin was revealed, and the 
authority of the Melchisedek Priesthood was manifested and con- 
ferred for the first time upon several of the elders. "It is clearly 
evident," says the Prophet, "that the Lord gives us power in pro- 
portion to the work to be done, and strength according to the 
race set before us, and grace and help as our needs require.'' 

The day following (June 7th), the Lord, in a revelation given 
through the Prophet, appointed the next conference to convene 
in Missouri, "upon the land which I will consecrate unto my 
people, which are a remnant of Jacob, and them who are heirs 
according to the covenant. Wherefore, verily I say unto you, 
let my servants Joseph Smith, Jr., and Sidney Rigdon take their 
journey as soon as preparations can be made to leave their homes, 
and journey to the land of Missouri. And inasmuch as they are 
faithful unto me, it shall be made known unto them what they 
shall do; and it shall also, inasmuch as they are faithful, be made 
known unto them the land of your inheritance." 

This announcement caused great joy to the conference. The 
place for the Zion of God — the New Jerusalem — was to be made 
known! It was to be the land of their inheritance! The city 
which Enoch, the seventh from Adam, saw in its splendor — the 
city of refuge for the righteous in the last days; the city of 
peace; the joy of the godly; the terror of the wicked — this city 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 39 

was to be located, and they were to be instruments in the found- 
ing of it! Small wonder if the thought of it exalted them until 
even the weak felt strong, and the strong yet more powerful. 

Twenty-eight elders in all were called by name to go in dif- 
ferent directions through the western states, two by two — 
"preaching by the way in every congregation, baptizing by water 
and the laying on of hands by the water's side." They were to 
meet in western Missouri in a conference appointed at that place, 
and there learn the location of Zion. 

Soon after the close of the conference the elders started 
upon this mission, some going on foot, others going part way by 
stage and steamboat. The Prophet, in company with Sidney 
Rigdon, Martin Harris, Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Joseph 
Coe, A. S. Gilbert and wife, left Kirtland for Missouri via Cin- 
cinnati and St. Louis. 

At Cincinnati the Prophet Joseph had an interview with 
Rev. Walter Scott, the associate of Alexander Campbell in found- 
ing the sect of "The Disciples," or "Campbellites." It was with 
these gentlemen that Sidney Rigdon was associated in a religious 
reform movement, to which reference has already been made. 
Their design was to re-establish primitive Christianity. This 
object they proposed to achieve by discarding all man-made creeds 
and accepting the Bible alone — and especially the New Testa- 
ment — as the authority and groundwork of their faith. Their 
cardinal doctrines were, faith in God and in Jesus Christ, repent- 
ance of sin, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, 
followed by righteousness of life. This unquestionably was a good 
beginning in the way of restoring the primitive Christian faith. 
Most of the fundamentals of the Christian faith are here; and if 
Sidney Rigdon, as the Lord declared, was sent forth even as John 
the Baptist to prepare the way before the Lord Jesus and Elijah — 
though he knew it not — then undoubtedly Alexander Campbell 
and Walter Scott, who were engaged in the same work, were also 
sent forth to prepare the way before the Lord. Certain it is that 



40 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

Alexander Campbell did a great work among the Protestant sects 
of the United States in getting them to turn from the creeds of 
men to the scriptures; and the elders of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints have found in the sect of "The Dis- 
ciples" more who would listen to their teachings, and a greater pro- 
portion of them who would accept the fullness of the gospel, than 
among any other sect. And those among them who have rejected 
the fullness of the gospel when it was presented to them, have 
failed to understand aright the meaning of the Campbell-Scott- 
Rigdon reform movement — they have failed to recognize in that 
movement merely a preparation for the incoming of the full- 
ness of the gospel. 

That their teaching was not a coihprete return to the Chris- 
tianity of the New Testament ought to have been clear to them, 
especially to the originators of the movement. They lacked 
divine authority — divine commission from God to administer the 
sacraments of the gospel. They baptized only with water for the 
remission of sins. The baptism of the Holy Ghost — apparently 
unknown to them — is equally a vital part of primitive Christianity, 
and is as plainly taught in the New Testament as an essential to 
salvation as water baptism. They lacked the organization of the 
primitive Church — apostles, prophets, bishops, elders, teachers, 
deacons, etc., etc.; and especially were they lacking in the enjoy- 
ment of those spiritual gifts of the gospel, so prominent a char- 
acteristic of the primitive Christian Church. 

Unfortunately, and very unlike Sidney Rigdon, both Mr. 
Campbell and Mr. Scott violently opposed the work of God brought 
forth by Joseph Smith. Alexander Campbell, through his"Millennial 
Harbinger," bitterly assailed both the Book of Mormon and the 
character of Joseph Smith; and Mr. Scott in this Cincinnati inter- 
view with the Prophet, opposed the work strenuously for that it 
set forth that men accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ were 
now entitled to the same spiritual powers and gifts as were en-; 
joyed in the primitive Church. "Before the close of our inter- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 41 

view," says the Prophet, "he manifested one of the bitterest 
spirits against the doctrine of the New Testament, (that these 
signs shall follow them that believe, as recorded in the 16th 
chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark), that I ever wit- 
nessed among men." 

From St. Louis, those who continued in the company of the 
Prophet made the journey on foot to Independence, where they 
arrived about the middle of July. 

In a few days the other elders of this mission through the 
western states began to arrive. These men had suffered all the 
hardships incident to a long journey performed for the most part 
on foot through a sparsely settled country and in the hot summer 
months; but the consciousness that they were seeking the place of 
the city of Zion; that they had been promised, on condition of their 
faithfulness, that its location would be revealed to them; that 
it should be the land of their inheritance — sustained them in every 
trial and made the journey pleasant to them. 

The meeting between these brethren from the eastern states 
and the elders of the Indian mission who had remained at Independ- 
ence since the departure of Elder Pratt to report their operations 
to the Prophet at Kirtland, was a memorable one. Those from 
the east could tell their brethren of the west of the expansion 
of The Church both in numbers and in doctrine; of the com- 
mandment of The Church to gather from New York to Ohio; of 
the appointment of a Bishop in The Church; of the revelation of 
the prophecy of Enoch, in which they had learned more about 
the city of Zion; of the other revelations that had been given 
upon that same subject — the city of Zion — the promise of God 
to reveal the place where eventually it is to be founded; the laws 
that must govern its inhabitants; of the glory which at last it 
shall possess; and finally of their God-commanded journey toward 
the place where it had been indicated its location was, and all 
the incidents that had happened on the way westward. All these 
and a thousand other things — their hopes for the advancement 



42 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

of the Kingdom; the peace of Zion that shall be; the safety, the 
glory; — all these were interesting themes for conversation. 
Of their meeting the Prophet himself said: 

The meeting with our brethren who had long waited our arrival, 
was a glorious one, and moistened with many tears. It seemed good 
and pleasant for brethren to meet together in unity. But our reflec- 
tions were great, coming as we had from a highly cultivated state of 
society in the east, and standing now upon the confines or western 
limits of the United States, and looking into the vast wilderness of 
those that sat in darkness; how natural it was to observe the degrada- 
tion, leanness of intellect, ferocity and jealousy of a people that were 
nearly a century behind the times, and to feel for those who roamed 
about without the benefit of civilization, refinement or religion; yea, 
and to exclaim in the language of the prophets: When will the 
wilderness blossom as the rose? When will Zion be built up in her 
glory, and where will Thy templestand, unto which all nations shall 
come in the last days? 

The brethren were not long left in doubt upon this subject, 
for within a day or two — the date of the revelation is not defi- 
nitely known further than the fact that it was given in July — a 
revelation was given in which the Lord made known that Missouri 
was the land which the Lord had appointed and consecrated for the 
gathering of his people: "Wherefore this is the land of prom- 
ise," said the Lord, "and the place for the city of Zion," and 
"behold, the place which is now called Independence, is the center 
place, and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot 
which is not far from the court house." * 

The Saints were commanded to purchase this land, and that 
lying westward, to the extent of their ability, that they might 
"obtain it as an everlasting inheritance." 

Sidney Gilbert was appointed an agent to The Church to re- 
ceive money and to purchase lands, and also to engage in the 



♦ Doc. & Cov. Sec. 57. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 43 

business of a general merchant, the proceeds of which business 
were to be used in the purchase of lands. 

Edward Partridge, by virtue of his office as bishop, was to 
divide to the Saints their inheritance as the lands were pur- 
chased. 

W. W. Phelps was to be established as a printer and pub- 
lisher to The Church in Zion, assisted by Oliver Cowdery. 

Immediate preparations were to be made by the bishop and 
his agents for settling the families then on their way from the 
east to settle in Zion. 

The first Sunday after the arrival of the elders of this west- 
ern mission, a public meeting was held over the western boundary 
of the United States. Such a congregation was present as wa;^ 
only possible in an American frontier district — Indians, Negroes 
(then slaves), and all classes and conditions of people from the 
surrounding counties — Universalists, Atheists, Deists, Presby- 
terians, Methodists, Baptists, both priests and people — a motly 
crowd, truly! At the conclusion of the services two were bap- 
tized, but they were not the fruits of this meeting as they previ- 
ously believed the gospel. 

During the week following, the Colesville branch of The 
Church, which had emigrated bodily from Colesville, Broome 
County, State of New York, arrived and settled in the edge of 
an extensive prairie about twelve miles west of Independence, 
and in what must now be the suburbs of Kansas City. It 
is worth while observing as we pass, that this branch of The 
Church was made up wholly of northern people, and therefore 
constituted a different class of settlers from the old inhabitants 
of Independence, who came chiefly from the south. They had 
been commanded to come to western. Missouri in a body, with a 
view to permanently settling in the land of Zion, when that place 
should be designated; and in this their mission differed from 
that given to the twenty-eight elders who were commanded to 



44 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

travel two and two, preaching the gospel through the western 
states en route for Missouri. 

These people were unquestionably plunged into new condi- 
tions. They had been reared in a district of New York where 
the land was heavily timbered, and where to clear a farm for 
cultivation took well-nigh the lifetime of one generation. But 
here they found alternate woodland and prairie, great stretches 
of open country which only needed to be fenced to be ready 
for plowing, and doubtless their hearts swelled with gratitude 
when they contemplated the possibilities and prosperity that 
could come to the industrious in such a goodly land. 

They soon set about their work of founding Zion, for on the 2nd 
day of August they began the erection of a log house. The first 
log was carried and placed by twelve men — of whom the Prophet 
was one — in honor of the twelve tribes of Israel; and Sidney 
Rigdon who had arrived at Independence sometime after the 
Prophet, from whom he separated at St. Louis, dedicated the 
land of Zion for the gathering of God's people. "It was a sea- 
son of joy to those present," writes the Prophet, "and afforded 
a glimpse of the future which time will yet unveil to the satis- 
faction of the faithful." 

Sidney Rigdon was also commanded to write a description 
of the land of Zion, but of that more later. 

It will be remembered that a site for the temple in Zion was 
also revealed at the time Independence was declared to be the 
center place thereof, and that it was described as lying a short dis- 
tance west from the court house. A scant half mile from the 
latter place one comes to the summit of a hill — 

A gentle hill of mild declivity 

— the crown of which is about an acre and a half in area, per- 
haps more. On the 3rd day of August, 1831, upon this spot, 
then covered with a rich growth of timber, the Prophet and a 
number of the brethren, among whom were Sidney Rigdon, Ed- ' 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 45 

ward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris 
and Joseph Coe — assembled to dedicate the place as the temple 
site in Zion. In the course of the impressive ceremonies then 
conducted, the 87th Psalm was read: 

His foundation is the holy mountains. 

The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all tLe dwellings 
of Jacob. 

Glorious things are spoken of thee, city of God. 

I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know 
me; behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopa: this man was bom 
there. 

And of Zion it shall be said. This and that man was born in her; 
and the Highest himself shall establish her. 

The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people, that this 
man was bom there. 

As well the singers as the players on instmments dhall be there: 
all my springs [i. e. hopes] are in thee. 

The Prophet Joseph then dedicated the spot where the temple 
is to be built — a temple, by the way, on which the glory of God shall 
visibly rest; yea, the Great God hath so declared it, saying: 
"Verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall 
be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud 
shall be even the glory of the Lord, which, shall fill the house; 
* * * the sons of Moses, and also the sons of Aaron shall 
offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the 
Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, 
upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed." * 

On the 4th of August a conference was held at the house 
of Joshua Lewis, in Kaw Township, Jackson County, among the 
Colesville saints. This was the conference that was appointed 
to convene by the revelation received on the 7th of June, direct- 
ing the elders to go westward in search of Zion. 



* Doc. & Gov, Sec. 84: 4-6, 31. 



46 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

Thus the work of building up the center place of Zion was 
commenced, and although the commencement was humble in 
the extreme, the final result shall be the erection of a city that 
shall be the crowning glory of the western world — a city from 
which shall go forth the law of the Lord unto all nations, for it 
is written: "The law shall go forth from Zion."* 

It shall be a city of refuge, for the Lord has said that "every 
man that will not take his sword against his neighbor, must 
needs flee unto Zion for safety." t 

The wicked will consider her inhabitants terrible, while the 
righteous out of every nation will come unto her with songs of 
everlasting joy in their hearts. J 



* Isaiah, 2: 3. 

fDoc. & Gov. Sec. 45: 68. 

jDoc. & Gov. Sec. 45: 69-71. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 47 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE LAND AND THE CITY. 

THE land in which the city of Zion is to be built will ever 
. be of interest to the saints, and I therefore give the fol- 
lowing description of that section of Missouri. 

The Missouri River, though flowing east in the main, takes a 
meandering course through the State to which it has given its 
name. The "river bottom" is a low strip of land on either bank 
of the stream, and varies in width from a few hundred yards to 
several miles. The character of the soil in the bottom is, of 
course, alluvial, and very fertile. The Missouri is said to be a 
"treacherous stream" by the people living on its banks. By that 
they mean it frequently changes its channel. Several places 
were pointed out to me, as I passed down it, that used to be the 
main channel of the stream; but which are now overgrown with 
trees, underbrush, and fields of waving com; while here and there 
the stream is cutting its banks, and mass after mass of sandy, 
alluvial deposit of former times is caving in— the river is cut- 
ting for itself a new channel — or moving obstructions frona an 
old one in which it flowed ages ago. 

But however often the Missouri may change its banks, the 
main stream never leaves the river bottoms, for the reason that 
these bottoms are walled in by the "bluffs." The word bluff natur- 
ally suggests to the mind rugged cliffs rising almost perpendic- 
ularly from the bottoms to dizzy heights — but such are not the 
bluffs of the Missouri. While occasionally one may see a bold 
cliff rising from the water's edge, yet they are not numerous. 
The Missouri bluffs are sharp, rolling hills that run parallel with 



48 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

the river on either side, and are usually timbered. They vary in 
width, sometimes extending ten or fifteen miles, and then again 
narrowed down to a few hundred yards by some patch of prairie 
that approaches very nearly to the river bank. 

Back from these bluflfs are stretched out great rolling 
prairies, the extent of which quite bewilders one. They are 
divided into what appear to be immense meadows by the strips of 
timber land which invariably border the winding streams. Stand- 
ing on an eminence that overlooks these alternate prairie and 
timber lands, extending as they do as far as the eye can reach 
— with here and there a crowning hill ornamented with a pre- 
tentious farm house, or some more humble dwelling half hidden 
from your view by the thick foliage of the trees, with cattle 
feeding on a thousand hills— all this is very likely to make the 
beholder imagine himself in some enchanted realm. But to be 
more particular: 

Jackson County, which is the center place of Zion, is 
in ninety-four west longitude, and thirty-nine north latitude, 
being nearly equally distant from the northern boundary of the 
United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It is also about midway 
between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, making it the most 
central point within the United States, and, with reference to both 
North and South America, a central place in this western hem- 
isphere, of which in the future it will be the great capital. The 
climate is delightful, being mild at least three-fourths of the 
year. The soil of Missouri is, for the most part, a rich, black 
loam, in places intermingled with sand and clay, and is from 
two to ten feet in depth, with a sub-soil of a fine quality of clay. 
Both climate and soil are favorable to the production of all the 
fruits and vegetables of the warm temperate climate: not only 
the hardy cereals, such as oats, barley, wheat, rye, buck-wheat, 
com, etc., but also tobacco, cotton, flax, sweet-potatoes and all 
other common vegetables, as also fruit, apples, pears, apricots, 
persimmons, plums of many varieties, the luscious peach, the 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 49 

delicious grape, and a great many kinds of berries grow in 
abundance. It is either Stanley or Livinstone who, in speaking 
of some parts of Africa, says: "The people tickle the soil with 
a hoe, and it laughs with plenty." It is so with the land of 
Zion. 

Though the supply of timber useful for lumber purposes is 
nearly exhausted, you still find luxuriant growths of hickory, 
some black walnut, a variety of oaks, plenty of elm, cherry, 
honey-locust, mulberry, bass-wood and boxelder; huge sycamores 
and cottonwoods grow in the river bottoms, as also hard and 
soft maple. 

Formerly many wild animals roamed over the prairies or 
lived in the woods; such as the buflfalo, elk, deer, bear, wolf, 
beaver, and many smaller animals; wild turkeys, geese, quail, 
and a variety of singing birds: in short, it was once, the hunter's 
paradise. Civilization, however, has driven away nearly all these 
animals, especially the larger ones; but they are replaced by 
the domestic species so useful to man, both for food and cloth- 
ing, as well as being of valuable assistance in his labors. 

The clay, of which there is unlimited quantities, makes a 
fine quality of brick. Stone quarries which supply a good quality 
of light-colored sand-stone, are abundant, so that substantial 
building material may be said to be plentiful. Such is the land 
of Zion as I found it — a land with resources well-nigh unlimited, 
a land yielding an abundance of all useful products though but 
indifferently cultivated by the husbandmen who possess it — a 
land of surpassing loveliness, though its beauties are often 
marred rather than increased by those who inhabit it; while its 
magnificent resources are very far from anything like complete 
development. 

The land being thus beautiful in its products when only 
partially developed, the mind naturally inquires what will it be 
when its resources are fully developed — ^when the idleness and 
indifference of its people shall be banished — ^when it shall be 



50 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

possessed by the saints of the Most High, who will consecrate 
their substance for the building of Zion; and all their exer- 
tions will be to glorify God, and benefit mankind— when covet- 
ousness is subdued and virtue and righteousness shall reign in 
every heart — and when under the blessings of Jehovah the land 
shall yield in its strength! When the glory of Lebanon shall 
be brought to Zion, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box tree 
together; when for brass, will be brought gold; and for iron, 
silver; for wood, brass; and for stones, iron, to glorify the place 
of God's sanctuary! Surely when this shall come to pass, the 
land of Zion shall be the perfection of beauty. 

Independence, designated as the center place of Zion, is in 
the northern part of Jackson county, about three or four miles 
south of the Missouri River. It is located nearly midway be- 
tween two small rivers which flow northward 'and empty into the 
Missouri; the stream on the west is called "Big Blue," and the 
one on the east "Little Blue." The town is situated in the river 
bluffs already described as sharp, rolling hills, many of which at 
one time were covered with fine growths of timber and even now 
some of them are partially covered with beautiful groves. In- 
dependence in 1831, as stated in a previous chapter, was a 
frontier town with all the disadvantages implied by that term. 
It had a mixed population of white men from many sections of the 
Union, chiefly, however, from the south, some of whom had 
moved into the western wilderness to escape the consequences 
of unlawful deeds committed elsewhere; vagabond Indians and 
renegades who had mingled with them; besides a number of 
negro slaves. Society was as varied as the character of the 
population, but on the whole may be described as being without 
stability, regard for law, or religion. Of late years, of course, 
the character of Independence has been entirely changed. 
Western Missouri is no longer the frontier of the United States, 
nor is Independence a frontier town. It is now a delightful 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 51 

residence suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, with many attract- 
ive homes. 

Having given a description of the land of Zion and the town 
of Independence, it may be interesting to learn something con- 
cerning the city of Zion that shall yet stand there to the glory 
of God. Of necessity the description will be imperfect, as the 
available materials for such description are very meagre. While 
the prophets have written much concerning Zion and her future 
glory, their rapturous effusions do not furnish matter for a defi- 
nite description of the city. In June, 1833, however, Joseph 
Smith and the elders in Kirtland, Ohio, sent a plat of the city to 
the brethren in Missouri. We have been unable to find the plat, 
but an explanation of it is recorded in the history of Joseph 
Smith,* from which we learn the following: 

The city plat is one mile square, divided into blocks con- 
taining ten acres each — forty rods square — except the middle 
range of blocks running north and south; they will be forty by 
sixty rods, containing fifteen acres, having their greatest extent 
east and west. The streets will be eight rods wide, intersecting 
each other at right angles. The tier of blocks forty by sixty 
rods will be reserved for public buildings, temples, tabernacles, 
school houses, etc.f 

All the other blocks will be divided into half- acre lots, a 
four rod front to every lot, and extending back twenty rods. In 



* Millennial Star, Vol. 14, p. 438. 

t By this arrangement, it will be observed that the blocks in the 
city cannot be uniformly forty rods square (if the middle range of 
blocks running north and south are made forty by sixty), as the plat 
east and "west would lack twenty-eight rods, and north and south eight 
rods, of being sufficient for such an arrangement. Either the outside 
tier of blocks must be less than forty rods square, or the city plat must 
be more than a mile square. It must be three hundred and forty-eight 
rods east and west, (instead of three hundred and twenty) by three 
hundred and twenty-eight north and south. — B. H. R. 



52 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

one block the lots will run from the north and south, and in the 
next one from the east and west, and so on alternately through- 
out the city, except in the range of blocks reserved for public 
buildings. By this arrangement no street will be built on en- 
tirely through the street; but on one block the houses will stand 
on one street, and on the next one on another street. All of 
the houses are to be built of brick or stone; and but one house 
on a lot, which is to stand twenty-five feet back from the street, 
the space in front being for lawns, ornamental trees, shrubbery, 
or flowers according to the taste of the owners; the rest of the 
lot will be for gardens, etc. 

It is supposed that such a plat when built up will contain 
fifteen or twenty thousand population, and that they will require 
twenty-four buildings to supply them with houses for public wor- 
ship and schools. These buildings will be temples, none of which 
will be less than eighty-seven feet by sixty-one, and two stories 
high, each story to be fourteen feet, making the building twenty- 
eight feet to the square. I say none of these temples will be 
smaller than this, but of course there will be others much larger; 
the above, however, are the dimensions of the one the saints 
were commanded to build first. 

Lands on the north and south of the city will be laid off 
for bams and stables for the use of the city, so there will be 
no bams or stables in the city among the homes of the people. 

Lands for the agriculturist are also to be laid off on the 
north and south of the city plat, but if sufficient land cannot be 
laid off without going too great a distance, then farms are to be 
laid off on the east and west also; but the tiller of the soil as well 
as the merchant and mechanic will live in the city. The farmer 
and his family, therefore, will enjoy all the advantages of schools, 
public lectures and other meetings. His home will no longer be 
isolated, and his family denied the benefits of society, which has 
been, and always will be, the great educator of the human race; 
but they will enjoy the same privileges of society, and can sur- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 53 

round their homes with as much refinement as will be found in 
the home of the merchant or banker. 

"When this square is thus laid off and supplied, lay off another 
in the same way," said Joseph to those to whom the city plat 
was sent, "and so fill up the world in these last days, and let 
every man live in the city, for this is the city of Zion. 



54 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER V. 

SETTLEMENT OP THE SAINTS IN MISSOURI — THEIR ERRORS— RE- 
PROOFS AND WARNINGS. 

ON the 4th of August, 1831, a conference was held among 
the Colesville saints, at the house of Joshua Lewis, in Kaw 
Township; and about this time a number of revelations were 
given in which the Lord made known his will to his servants and 
gave his reasons for calling them to Missouri. Those reasons 
were: 

1. That the Lord's servants might give to him a witness 
of their obedience; 

2. That they might have the honor of laying the founda- 
tion of Zion; 

3. That they might bear record in all their travels here- 
after, where the city of Zion shall stand; 

4. That the testimony of these things might go forth from 
"the city of the heritage of God:"* 

The Lord commanded the saints to purchase lands in Jack- 
son County, to the extent of their ability; and for the better 
accomplishment of this object, Sidney Gilbert was appointed 
agent for The Church. Having accomplished these things, the 
elders, except Edward Partridge and a few others whom the 
Lord appointed to settle permanently in Missouri, were com- 
manded to return to their homes, bearing record by the way of 
what had been revealed. 

The saints and elders who remained in the land of Zion 



^Doc. & Cov. Sec. 58: 1-13. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 55 

began the work of building up permanent homes. They had 
arrived too late to raise crops that season, but they cut hay for 
their cattle, and prepared some ground for cultivation. The fall 
and winter were occupied in building log cabins; but with all 
their industry they were not able to provide shelter for all. 
Through that long, cold winter the saints cheerfully submitted 
to all kinds of inconveniences, such as several families living in 
an open, unfinished log room, without windows, and nothing but 
the frozen ground for a floor. Their food consisted chiefly of 
beef and a little bread, made of coarse corn meal, manufactured 
by rubbing the ears of com on a tin grater. The spirit of peace, 
union and love, however, was in their midst, and at their prayer 
meetings, and in their family worship, they were blessed with 
many seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. 

Thus the winter of 1831 passed away. 

As soon as the churches scattered abroad learned that the 
Lord had revealed the place where the city of Zion was to be 
built, preparations to purchase inheritances absorbed the minds 
of the faithful; and money was sent to The Church agent from 
all quarters to buy lands. Edward Partridge had been appointed 
the bishop in Zion, and it was made his duty to divide unto the 
saints their inheritances.* As early as February, 1831, the Lord 
had said that those who loved him would remember the poor, 
and consecrate of their property to sustain them, for inasmuch 
as they did it to the poor, they did it unto him; and that which 
was consecrated to the poor, should be imparted to them with a 
deed and a covenant that could not be broken. Moreover every 
man was to be made a steward over his own property.f 

This law of consecration and stewardship was as follows: 
Every man was to consecrate his property to the bishop of The 



* Doc. & Cov. Sec. 57: 7, 
t Doc. & Cov. Sec. 42: 29-35. 



56 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

Church without reserve, with a covenant that could not be broken; 
and then from this consecrated property receive an inheritance 
from the bishop — sharing equally with his brethren, according to 
his family and circumstances — this inheritance being deeded* to 
him by the bishop; which inheritance then became his stewardship, 
upon which he was to improve according to the measure of wisdom 
he possessed. Every man is to be independent in the management 
of his stewardship. By every man consecrating his property to 
the bishop, and then receiving back as his stewardship only suffic- 
ient for his support, there was a surplus left in the hands of the 
bishop to be placed in the Lord^s storehouse. Then if in the 
management of his stewardship a man obtained more than was 
needful for his support, it, too, was put into the Lord's store- 
house, and that, as well as the surplus first named, was to be 
used in giving inheritances to the poor; and in assisting the 
brethren in the improvement of their respective stewardships, 
as should be appointed by the high council of The Church, and 
the bishop and his counselors.! And thus the saints were to be 
made equal in temporal things as well as in things that are spir- 
itualj 

The hearts of the saints in Zion were made glad in the 
spring of 1832 by a visit from their youthful Prophet and Sid- 
ney Rigdon, both of whom had suffered much for the truth's sake, 
during the winter that had just past, at the hands of a furious 
mob in Ohio. 

At the time the mobbing referred to occurred, the Prophet 
was living at the house of a Brother John Johnson, Sen., (usually 
called "Father Johnson" by Joseph and the saints), in the little 
town of Hiram, Portage County, Ohio, about thirty miles from 
Kirtland. Before removing to that place, the Prophet's wife 



* Doc. & Cov. Sec. 51: 4. 

t Doc. & Cov. Sec. 42: 33. 53-55« 

t Doc. & Cov. Sec. 78. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 57 

had taken two children (twins) to rear, their mother, the wife 
of a Brother John Murdock, having died when the children were 
a few days old. Emma Smith received them when they were 
nine days old, and at the time of the event to be related they 
were eleven months old. 

Nothing of unusual importance had occurred in Hiram since 
the Prophet's arrival. He had occupied his time in the revision 
of the Bible that hehad been commanded to make, and in holding 
public meetings in the evenings and on the Sabbath day. Here, 
too, he received a number of revelations, among them the one 
called the "Vision,"* which describes the different degrees of 
glory to which men may attain in the future life. 

A number of men, however, had apostatized from the truth 
and left The Church; among them one Ezra Booth, formerly a 
iMethodist minister. He had been converted on seeing a person 
healed of an infirmity of many gears' standing, and, as is so fre- 
quent in such cases, he required a constant succession of mira- 
cles to keep him in The Church. "But when," as the Prophet 
remarks in stating his case, "he actually learned that faith, 
humility, patience, and tribulation were before blessing, and that 
iGod brought low before he exalted; that instead of the Savior's 
granting him power to smite men and make them believe (as he 
said he wanted God to do with him), he found he must become 
all things to all men, that he might peradventure save some; 
and that, too, by all diligence, by perils, by sea and land, as was 
the case in the days of Jesus" — when he found this was the 
course the servants of God must run, he was disappointed and 
turned away from the faith and The Church. So, too, did one 
Simonds Rider, and also Eli Johnson, Edward Johnson, and John 
Johnson, Jr. 

This by way of introducing the matter, the rest is as re- 
lated by the Prophet himself: 



*Doc. &Cov. Sec. 76. 

4 



58 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

On the 2.5th of March, 1832, the twins before mentioned, which 
had been sick of the measles for some time, caused us to be broke of 
our rest in taking care of them, especially my wife. In the evening 
I told her she had better retire to rest with one of the children, and 
I would watch with the sickest child. In the night she told me I had 
better lie down on the trundle bed, and I did so, and was scion after 
awakened by her screaming murder! when I found myself going out 
of the door in the hands of about a dozen men, some of whose hands 
were in my hair, and some hold of my shirt, drawers and limbs. The 
foot of the trundle bed was towards the door, leaving only room 
enough for the door to swing. My wife heard a gentle tapping on 
the windows which she then took no notice of, (but which was un- 
questionably designed for ascertaining whether we were all asleep), 
and soon after the mob burst open the door and surrounded the bed 
in an instant, and as I said, the first thing I knew I was going out of 
the door in the hands of an infuriated mob. I made a desperate 
struggle as I was forced out, to extricate myself, but only cleared 
one leg, with which I made a pass at one man and he fell on the door 
steps. I was immediately confined again, and they swore by God they 
would kill me if I did not be still, which quieted me. As they passed 
around the house with me, the fellow that I kicked came to me and 
thrust his hand into my face, all covered with blood, (for I hit him on 
the nose,) and with an exulting hoarse laugh, muttered, ''Gee, gee, 
God damn ye, Fll fix ye." 

They then seized me by the throat, and held on till I lost my 
breath. After I came to, as they passed along with me, about thirty 
rods from the house, I saw Elder Rigdon stretched out on the ground 
whither they had dragged him by the heels. I supposed he was 
dead. 

I began to plead with them, saying, "you will have mercy and 
spare my life, I hope?" To which they replied, **God damn ye, call on 
yer God for help, well show ye no mercy;" and the people began to 
show themselves in every direction; one coming from the orchard 
had a plank, and I expected they would kill me and carry me off on 
the plank. They then turned to the right and went on about thirty 
rods further — about sixty rods from the house and thirty from where 
I saw Elder Rigdon, into the meadow, where they stopped, and one 



THE MISSOURI PEKSECtmONS. 



69 



said, "Simonds, Simonds," (meaniDg, I supposed, Simonds Rider,) ''pull 
up Ilia drawers, pull up Ma drawers, he will take cold.*' Another replied, 
*Vnt ye going to kill 'im, a'nt ye going to kill 'im?" A group of mobbera 
collected a little way off, and said: "Simonds, Simonds, come here;'" and 
Simonds charged those who had hold of me to keep me from touching 
the ground {as they had done all the time), lest I should get a spring 
upon them. They went and held a council, and as I could occasionally 
overhear a word, I supposed it was to know whether it was best to 
kill me. They returned after awhile, when I learned they had con- 
cluded not to kill me, but pound and scratch me well, tear off my 
shirt and drawers, and leave me naked. One cried, '*SimondB, Simonds, 
Where's ih^ tar hmketr '*I don't know," answered one, "where 'tis, 
Eir^ left it" They ran back and fetched the bucket of tar, when one 
exclaimed, "God damn it, lefn u^ tar up his moulk;-- and they tried to 
force the tar paddle into my mouth; I twisted my head around so 
that they could not; and they cried out, *^God damn i/e, hdd up yer 
head and let us give ye some lar,'^ They then tried to force a vial 
into my mouth and broke it in my teeth. All my clothes were torn 
off me except my shirt collar; and one man fell on me and scratched 
my body like a mad cat, and then muttered out: "God damn ye^ ihat^s 
the tmy th£ Holy Ghost falh on folks.'' 

They then left me and I attempted to rise, but fell again; I pulled 
the tar away from my lips, so that I could breathe more freely, 
and after awhile I began to recover/and raised myself up, when I saw 
two lights. I made my way towards one of them, and found it was 
Tather Johnson's. When I had come to the door I was naked, and 
the tar made me look as though I was covered with blood, and when 
my wife saw me she thought I was all mashed to pieces, and fainted. 
During the affray abroad, the sisters of the neighborhood had col- 
lected at my room. 1 called for a blanket; they threw me one and 
shut the door: I wrapped it around me and went in. 



My friends spent the night in scraping and removing the tar, 
and washing and cleansing my body; so that by morning I was ready 
to be clothed again. This being Sabbath morning, the people assem- 
bled for meeting at the usual hour of worship, and among those came 
also the mobbers, viz.: Simonds Rider, a Campbellite preacher and 



60 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

leader of the^'mob; one McClentic, son of a Campbellite minister; and 
Pelatiah Allen, Esq., who gave the mob a barrel of whiskey to raise 
their spirits; and many others. With my flesh all scarified and de- 
faced, I preached to the congregation as usual, and in the afternoon 
of the same day baptized three individuals. 

It was during this visit to Missouri in the spring of 1832, 
that Joseph was acknowledged by The Church and Priesthood in 
Zion, "President of the High Priesthood." It was on the occa- 
sion of this visit, too, that he sought to so "organize The Church 
that the brethren might, eventually, be independent of every 
incumbrance beneath the celestial kingdom, by bonds and cove- 
nants of mutual friendship and mutual love."* 

In a revelation given July, 1831, W. W. Phelps had been 
appointed a printer unto The Church in the land of Zion. Ac- 
cordingly a press and type were purchased, and in June, 1832, 
the first number of a monthly paper was issued, called the Even- 
ing and Morning Star. This was the first periodical published by 
The Church. According to its prospectus it was to be a mes- 
senger of truth; a harbinger of peace and good will; to bring 
good tidings of great joy to all people, but more especially to 
the house of Israel scattered* abroad, telling them that the day 
of their redemption was near; to proclaim the ensign to which 
all nations must come, in order to worship God acceptably; 
to declare that goodness consists in doing good, not merely 
in teaching it; and to show that all men's religion is vain 
without charity; and as the paper was to be devoted to the great 
concerns of eternal things, and the gathering of the saints, it 
would leave politics, broils, the gainsayings of the world, and 
many other matters for their proper channels.! 

So rapidly did the saints gather to Zion during this summer 
that the Star for November reported eight hundred and thirty 



* History of Joseph Smith. Millennial Star Vol. 14, p. 162. 
t Millennial Star Vol. 14: 146-8, 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 61 

souls in the new settlements. The Lord had blessed them both 
with food and with raiment, and there was plenty in Zion. A 
feeling of insubordination, however, existed among the brethren 
of the priesthood. Seven high priests had been appointed to 
preside over the affairs of The Church in Zion, viz., Oliver Cow- 
dery, W. W. Phelps, John Whitmer, Sidney Gilbert, Edward Par- 
tridge, Isaac Morley and John Corrill. These brethren, with the 
common consent of the several branches comprising The Church 
in Missouri, were to appoint elders to preside over the respect- 
ive branches, and attend to all the affairs of The Church in that 
land. But a number of those high priests and elders who went 
up to Zion, ignored the authority of the seven who were placed 
there to preside, and began setting some of the branches in 
order without being appointed to do so; and it resulted in some 
confusion. Others who went there sought to obtain inheritances 
in some other way than according to the laws of consecration 
and stewardship; and these things, together with jealousies, 
covetousness, light-mindedness, unbelief, and general neglect to 
keep the commandments of God, enkindled the displeasure of 
the Almighty against Zion and her inhabitants. 

This state of affairs coming to the knowledge of the Prophet 
Joseph, through his correspondence with the leading elders in 
Zion, he wrote a letter to the saints in Missouri, severely re- 
proving them for their neglect to keep the commandments of 
God; and as the communication is full of prophecy of those calami- 
ties which eventually befell the Church, I quote it entire: 

KiRTLAND, January 11, 1833. 
Brother Wm, W. Phelps: 

I send you the Olive Leaf which we have plucked from the tree 
of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us; for though our breth- 
ren in Zion indulge in feelings towards us which are not according 
to the requirements of the new covenant, yet we have the satisfac- 
tion of knowing that the Lord approves of us and has accepted us, 
and established his name in Kirtland for the salvation of the nations; 



62 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



for tlie Lord will have a place from whicli Ms word will go forth, in 
these last days, in purity^ for if Zion will not purify herself, so as to 
be approved of in all things, in his sight, be will seek another people; 
for bis work will go on until Israel is gathered, and they who will 
not hear his voice must expect to feel bis wrath. Let rae say unto 
yon, seek to purify yourselves, and also tbe inbabitants of Zion, lest 
the Lord's anger be kindled to fierceness. Repent, repent, is the voice 
of God to Zion; and strange as it may appear, yet it is true, mankind 
will persist in self^jnstification until all their iniquity is exposed, and 
tbeir character past being redeemed, and that which is treasured up 
in their hearts be exposed to the gaze of mankind, I say to you (and 
what 1 say to you, I say to all), hear tbe warning voice of God, lest 
Zion fall, and the Lord swear in his wrath, "Tbe inhabitants of Zion 
shall not enter into my rest," 

Tbe brethren in Kirtland pray for you unceasingly, for, knowing 
the terrors of the Lord, they greatly fear for you. You will see that 
the Lord commanded us, in Kirtland, to build a bouse of God, and 
establish a school for the prophets; this is tbe word of tbe Lord to 
us, and we must, yea, the Lord helping us, we will obey; as on con- 
ditions of our obedience he has promised us great things; yea^ even 
a visit from the heavens to honor us with his own presence. We greatly 
fear before the Lord lest we sbould fail of this great honor, which 
our Master proposes to confer upon os; we are seeking for humility 
and great faitb lest we be ashamed in bis presence. Our hearts are 
greatly grieved at tbe spirit which is breathed both in your letter 

and that of Brother G 's; the very spirit which is wasting tbe 

strength of Zion like a pestilence; and if it is not detected and driven 
from you, it will ripen Zion for tbe threatened judgments of God, 
Remember, God sees the secret springs of human action, and knows 
tbe hearts of all living. 

Brother, suffer us to speak plainly, for God has respect for tbe 
feelings of his saints, and he will not suffer tbem to be tantalized 

with impunity. Tell Brother G that low insinuations God bates; 

hut he rejoices in an honest heart, and knows better who is guilty 
than he does. We send bim this warning voice, and let him fear 
greatly for himself, lest a worse thing overtake him; all we can say 
by way of conclusion is, if tbe fountain of our tears is not dried up, 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



we will still weep for Zion. This from your brother who trembles 
for Zion^ and for the wrath of heaven which awaits her if she repent 
not. Joseph Smith, Jun. 

P. S. — I am not in the habit of crying peace, when there is no 
peace, and, knowing the threatened judgments of God, I say, Woe 
onto them that are at ease in Zion; fearfnlness will speedily lay hoM 
of the hypocrite. I did not expect that yon had lost the command* 
menta, but thought from your letters you had neglected to read them, 
otherwise you would not have written ae you did. 

It is in vain to try to hide a bad spirit from the eyes of those 
who are spiritual, for it will show itself in speaking and in writing, 
as well as in all our other conduct. It is also needless to make great 
pretensions when the heart is not right; the Lord will expose it to 
the view of his faithful saints. We wish you to render the Star as 
interesting as possible, by setting forth the rise, progress and faith 
of our Church, as well as the doctrine; for if you do not render it 
more interesting than at present, it will fall, and The Church suffer a 
great loss thereby. J, S. 

A council of high priests at Kirtland also appointed Hymra 
Smith and Orson Hyde to write a letter of reproof and w^aming, 
in which they cried, **Kepent! repent! or Zion must suffer, for 
the scourge and judgment must come upon her.*^ The whole of 
this communication, however, is likewise so full of prophetic 
warning to the saints in Zion that I consider it too important to 
be omitted, and hence give it in exteiiso: 

Kirtland Mills, Geauga County, Ohio, 

January 14, 1833. 
From a conference^ of twelve High Priests, to the Bishop^ ku Council^ and 

the inhahitants of Zion: 

Orson Hyde and Hyrum Smith being appointed by the said con- 
ference to write this epistle in obedience to the commandmentp given 
the 22nd and 23rd of September last which says: "But verily I say 
unto all those to whom the kingdom has been given, from you it must 
be preached unto them that shall repent of their former evil works, 
for they are to be upbraided for their evil hearts of unbelief; and yonr 



64 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

brethren in Zion, for their rebellion against you at the time I sent you." 

Brother Joseph, and certain others, have written to you on this 
all-important subject, but you have never been apprized of these 
things by the united voice of a conference of those high priests that 
were present at the time this commandment was given. 

We, therefore, Orson and Hyrum — the committee appointedi by 
said conference to write this epistle — having received the prayers of 
said conference, that we might be enabled to write the mind and will 
of God upon this subject, now take up our pen to address you in the 
name of the conference, relying upon the arm of the great Head of 
The Church. 

In the commandment alluded to, the children of Zion were all, yea, 
even every one, under condemnation, and were to remain in that state 
until they repented and remembered the new covenant, even the Book 
of Mormon, and the former commandments, which the Lord had given 
them, not only to say but to do them, and bring forth fruit meet for 
the Father's Kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and a 
judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion; for **shall the 
children of the kingdom pollute the holy land? I say unto you, nay!'' 

The answers received from those letters which have been sent to 
you upon this subject, have failed to bring to us that satisfactory 
confession and acknowledgment, which the spirit of our Master re- 
quires. We, therefore, feeling a deep interest for Zion, and knowing 
the judgments of God that will come upon her except she repent, 
resort to these last and most effectual means in our power to bring 
her to a sense of her standing before the Most High. 

At the time Joseph, Sidney and Newel left Zion, all matters of 
hardness and misunderstanding were settled and buried (as they sup- 
posed), and you gave them the hand of fellowship; but afterwards you 
brought up all these things again, in a censorious spirit, accusing 
Brother Joseph in rather an indirect way of seeking after monarchial 
power and authority. This came to us in Brother Carroll's letter of 
July 2nd. We are sensible that this is not the thing Brother Joseph 
is seeking after, but to magnify the high office and calling where- 
unto he has been called and appointed by the command of God, and 
the united voice of this Church. It might not be amiss for you to 
call to mind the circumstances of the Nephites, and the children of 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 65 

Israel rising up against their prophets, and accusing them of seeking 
after kingly power, etc., and see what befell them, and take warning 
before it is too late. 

Brother Gilbert's letter of December 10th has been received and 
read attentively, and the low, dark, and blind insinuations which were 
in it were not received by us as from the fountain of light, though 
his claims and pretensions to holiness were great. We are not unwill- 
ing to be chastened or rebuked for our faults, but we want to receive 
it in language that we can understand, as Nathan said to David, 

"Thou art the man." We are aware that Brother G is doing much 

and has a multitude of business on hand, but let him purge out all 
the old leaven, and do his business in the spirit of the Lord, and then 
the Lord will bless him, otherwise the frown of the Lord will remain 
upon him. There is manifestly an uneasiness in Brother Gilbert, and 
a fearfulness that God will not provide for his saints in these last 
days, and these fears lead him on to covetousness. This ought not to 
be, but let him do just as the Lord has commanded him, and then the 
Lord will open his coffers, and his wants will be liberally supplied. 
But if this uneasy, covetous disposition be cherished by him, the Lord 
will bring him to poverty, shame and disgrace. 

Brother Phelps' letter of December 15th, is also received, and 
carefully read, and it betrays a lightness of spirit that ill becomes a 
man placed in the important and responsible station that he is placed 
in. If you have fat beef and potatoes, eat them in singleness of heart 
and boast not yourselves in these things. Think not, brethren, that 
we make a man an offender for a word; this is not the case; but we 
want to see a spirit in Zion, by which the Lord will build it up; that 
is the plain, solemn, and pure spirit in Christ. Brother Phelps re- 
quested in his last letter that Brother Joseph should come to Zion; 
but we say that Brother Joseph will not settle in Zion until she repent 
and purify herself and abide by the new covenant, and remember the 
commandments that have been given her, to do them as well as to say 
them. 

You may think it strange that we manifest no cheerfulness of 
heart upon the reception of your letter; you may think that our minds 
are prejudiced so much that we can see no good that comes from you, 
but rest assured, brethren, that this is not the case. 



66 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



We have the beat of feelings, and feelings of the greatest anxiety 
for the welfare of Zion; we feel more like weeping over Zion than 
rejoicing over her, for we know that the judgments of God hang over 
her^ and will fall npon her except she repent^ and purify herself be- 
fore the Lord, and put away from her every foul spirit. We now say 
to Zion, this once, in the name of the Lord, Repent! repent! awake, 
awake, put on thy beautiful garments, before you are made to feel 
the chastening rod of him whose anger is kindled against you. Let 
not Satan tempt you to think we want to make you bow to us, to 
domineer over you, for God knows this is not the case; our eyes are 
watered with tears, and our hearts are poured out to God in prayer 
for you, that he will spare you, and turn away his anger from you. 

There are many things in the last letters of Brothers G and 

P that are good, and we esteem them much. The idea of 

having "certain ones appointed to regulate Zion, and traveling elders 
have nothing to do with this part of the matter," is something we 
highly approbate, and you will doubtless know before this reaches 
you, why William E. McLellin opposed you in this move. We fear 
there was something in Brother Gilbert when he returned to this 
place from New York last fall, in relation to his brother William, that 
was not right. For Brother Gilbert was asked two or three times 
about his brother William, but gave evasive answers, and at the same 
time he knew that William was in Cleveland; but the Lord has taken 
him. We merely mention this that all may take warning to work in 
the light, for God will bring every secret thing to light. 

We now close our epistle by sa^nng unto you, the Lord has com- 
manded us to purify ourselves, to wash our hands and our feet, that 
he may testify to his Father and our Father, to hia God and our God, 
that we are clean from the blood of this generation; and before 
we could wash our hands and our feet we were constrained to write 
this letter. Therefore, with the feelings of inexpressible anxiety for 
your welfare, we say again, Repent, repent, or Zion must suffer, for 
the scourge and judgment must come upon her. 

Let the bishop read this to the elders that they may warn the 
members of the scourge that is comings except they repent. Tell 
them to read the Book of Mormon and ohey it; read the command- 
ments that are printed and obey them: yea^ humble yourselves under 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



67 



the mighty hantl of God that peradveEture he may turn away his 
anger from you. Tell them that they have not come up to Zion to 
sit down in idleness, neglecting the things of God^ but they are to be 
diligent and faithful in obeying the new covenant. 

There is one clause in Brother Joseph's letter which you may not 
understand; that is this, "If the people of Zion did not repent, the 
Lord would seek another place and another people." Zion is the place 
where the temple will be built, and the people gathered, but all people 
upon that holy land being under condemnation, the Lord will cut them 
off, if they repent not, and bring another race upon it that will serve 
him. The Lord will seek another place to bring forth and prepare his 
word to go forth to the nations, and as we said before, so we say again. 
Brother Joseph will not settle in Zion, except she repent and serve 
God, and obey the new covenant. With this explanation the conference 
sanctions Brother Joseph's letter. 

Brethren, the conference meets again this evening to hear this 
letter read, and if it meets their minds, we are all agreed to knee! 
down before the Lord, and cry unto him with all our hearts, that this 
epistle, and Brother Joseph's, and the revelations also, may have their 
desired effect, and accomplish the thing whereunto they are sent, and 
that ihey may stimulate you to cleanse Zion, that she mourn not. 
Therefore, when you get this, know ye that a conference of twelve 
high priests have cried unto the Lord for you, and are still crying, 
saying. Spare thy people, Lord, and give not thy heritage to re- 
proach. We now feel that our garments are clean from you and all 
men, when we have washed our feet and hands according to the com- 
mandment 

We have written plain at this time, but we believe not harsh. 
Plainness is what the Lord requires, and we should not feel ourselves 
clear, unless we had done so: and if the things we have told you be 
not attended to, you will not long have occasion to say, or to think 
rather, that we may be wrong in what we have stated. Your un- 
worthy brethren are determined to pray unto the Lord for Zion, as 
long as we can shed the sympathetic tear, or feel any spirit to suppli- 
cate a throne of grace in her behalf. 

The school of the prophets will commence, if the Lord will, in 
two or three days. It is a general time of health with us. The cause 



6,8 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

of God seems to be rapidly advancing in the eastern country; the 
gifts are beginning to break forth so as to astonish the world, and even 
believers marvel at the power and goodness of God. Thanks be ren- 
dered to his holy name for what he is doing. We are your unworthy 
brethren in the Lord, and may the Lord help up all to do his will, that 
we may at last be saved in his kingdom. 

Orson Hyde. 

Hyrum Smith. 

N. B. — We stated that Brother Gilbert knew that William was 
in Cleveland last fall when he was in Kirtland. We wrote this up- 
on the strength of hearsay: but William being left at St. Louis, 
strengthened our supposition that such was the fact. We stated 
further, representing this matter, or this item, than the testimony 
will warrant us. With this exception the conference sanctions this 
letter. 

These words of reproof and warning had the effect of 
awakening in the hearts of the saints the spirit of repentance. 
A solemn assembly was called at which a sincere and humble 
repentance was manifested. A general epistle to The Church 
authorities in Kirtland, bearing date of 26th of February, 1833, 
was adopted at a conference of the saints in Zion, expressing 
their repentance, and desires to keep the commandments of God 
in the future. This was satisfactory to the brethren in Kirtland; 
and the Lord said in a revelation given the 8th of March, that 
the brethren in Zion '%gan** to repent; and that the angels re- 
joiced over them. Still there were many things with which the 
Lord was not well pleased, and he said that he would contend 
with Zion, and plead with her strong ones, and chasten her until 
she overcame.* 



*Doc. & Cov. Sec. 90: 32-36. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 69 



CHAPTER VI. 

STORM CLOUDS. 

THE spring of 1833 opened early in western Missouri. The 
streams, which had been so long locked up in ice, broke 
loose under the genial rays of the returning sun, and rushed 
madly on to swell the majestic current of the Missouri. The 
winter snows early melted before the balmy breath of spring, 
and grass and flowers in rich profusion and of varied hue clothed 
the great rolling prairies of the west in their loveliest attire. 
The forests along the water courses put forth their tender buds, 
and the birds that had migrated to the south in the autumn, to 
escape the severity of the winter, joyfully returned to build their 
nests in the same old woods, and make the wilderness glad with 
their sweet songs. All nature rejoiced, and the saints who had 
gathered to that land to build up Zion rejoiced with her. They 
had repented of the sins which had called forth the reproofs 
of the servants of God: and although there were some per- 
sons among them with whom the Lord was not well pleased, yet 
they had received assurances from God that the angels rejoiced 
over them. 

Under these auspicious circumstances eighty officials and a 
large number of the members of The Church met for the serv- 
ice of God, and to be instructed in the things of eternal life, at 
the Ferry on Big Blue, a small forest-lined stream a few miles 
west of Independence. Their conversation and discourses ranged 
over immense periods of time; extending back to that time when 
the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted 
for joy in anticipation of the blessings that would follow the 



70 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

creation of this earth.* They spoke of the cruel persecutions 
endured by the disciples of Jesus in former ages, little dream- 
ing that the time was at hand when they, too, would be 
required to endure like trials for the truth's sake — for the 
word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Their minds were 
absorbed in contemplating the future glory of Zion; their 
souls were filled with joy unspeakable — filled with that spirit 
which ages before caused men and angels to unite in sing- 
ing, "Peace on earth; good will to- man." This occurred 
on the 6th of April, and was the first attempt of The 
Church to celebrate the anniversary of her birthday. Only three 
years before, in the house of Peter Whitmer The Church had been 
organized; and now the saints in Missouri were exclaiming. 
How The Church has grown! How much has been accomplished! 
The Gospel had been preached in nearly all the states of the 
Union: thousands had hailed the message with delight, and 
numerous branches of The Church had been established. The 
place of the city of Zion had been revealed, and nearly a thou- 
sand of the saints gathered there. A printing establishment had 
been founded, and the precious truths from heaven were being 
published to the world; and all this had been accomplished in the 
face of poverty and bitter opposition. 

During the summer of 1833, a school for the elders was 
organized in Zion, presided over by Elder Parley P. Pratt, who 
labored with all the zeal of an apostle in teaching them the things 
of God. They held their meetings in the shady groves — ^in "God's 
first temples," and their instructor frequently walked several 
miles bare-footed to meet with them. How strange it seems to 
record the above as occurring in this age! It appears to be 
quite out of joint with the times, and smacks rather of that age 
in which John the Baptist preached the gospel in the wilderness 

* Job 38: 3-7. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



71 



of Judea, clothed with cameFs hair, and a girdle of skin about 
his loins; and whose food was locusts and wild honey. Some 
day, however, when a parallel shall be drawn between the intro- 
duction of the gospel in this dispensation, and that in which John 
figured, it will appear that the men who have been chosen of the 
Lord in this age to perform his work, possess the same sim- 
plicity of character as those whom he chose in Judea, nineteen 
hundred years ago— the same guileless honesty of purpose; the 
same child-like confidence in God, and the same unwavering 
fidelity to their Master's cause; as wiUing to undergo privations, 
hunger and cold, and toil and nakedness; as wdlling to endure 
the acorn and hatred of the world; as willing to suffer bonds and 
even death. 

The migration of the saints to Missouri in the early summer 
of 1833, exceeded that of the previous season; but they were 
settling among a people who possessed characteristics with which, 
from the natui'e of things, they were bound to be at variance. 
The **old settlers" of JacLson County were principally from the 
mountainous portions of the Southern States. They had settled 
along the water-courses, in the forests which lined their banks, 
instead of out on the broad and fertile prairies, which only re- 
quired fencing to prepare them for cultivation. It was the work 
of years to clear a few acres of the timber lands, and prepare 
them for cultivation, but with these small fields the "old settlers" 
were content. They had no disposition to beautify their homes, 
or even make them convenient or comfortable. They lived in 
their log cabins without windows, and very frequently without 
floors other than the ground; and the dingy, smoked log walls 
were unadorned by pictures or other ornaments. They were 
uneducated; those who could read or write being the exception 
and not the rule; and they had an utter contempt for the refine- 
ments of life. It is needless to add that they were narrow- 
minded, ferocious, and jealous of those who sought to obtain 



72 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

better homes, and who aspired to something better in life than 
had yet entered into the hearts of these people. 

' There was another element in western Missouri which did 
not tend to the improvement of its society. Western Missouri 
at the time of which I write, and as before remarked, was the 
frontier of the United States, and therefore a- place of refuge 
for those who had outraged the laws of society elsewhere. Here 
they were near the boundary line of the United States, and if 
pursued by the officers of tjie law, in a few hours they could 
cross the line out of their reach, as the officers could not operate 
outside of their own nation. These outcasts helped to give a 
more desperate complexion to the already reckless population of 
western Missouri. 

The Saints could not join the Missourians in their way 
of life — in Sabbath-breaking, profanity, horse-racing, idleness, 
drunkenness, and debauchery. They had been commanded to keep 
the Sabbath day holy, to keep themselves unspotted from the 
sins of the world. The fact of people having so little in com- 
mon with each other was of itself calculated to beget a coldness 
and suspicion^ which would soon ripen into dislike. The saints, 
too, had come, for the most part, from the Northern and New 
England States, and the hatred that existed at that time between 
the people of the slave-holding and free states, was manifested 
toward the saints by their "southern" neighbors. Moreover, the 
old settlers were dear lovers of office, and the honors and emolu- 
ments growing out of it; and they greatly feared that the rapidly 
increasing saints would soon outnumber them, and that the 
offices would be wrested from them. Political jealousy is always 
cruel and unscrupulous; and is not slow to find excuses for destroy- 
ing the object of its hatred.* To the politician as well as to 
the lover, 

"Trifles light as air. 

Are to the jealous confirinations strong 

As proofs of Holy Writ." 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



73 



And where these '^trifles" do not exist, we shall see in the prog- 
ress of our narrative that sectarian meanness and political 
jealousy do not hesitate to manufacture them. 

As early as the spring of 1832 there began to appear signs 
of an approaching storm. In the deadly hours of the night the 
houses of some of the saints were stoned, the windows broken, 
and the inmates disturbed. In the fall of the same year a large 
quantity of hay in the stack belonging to the saints was burned, 
houses shot into, and the people insulted with abusive language. 
In the month of April, 1833, the old settlers to the num- 
ber of some three hundred met at Independence, to consult upon 
a plan for the destruction, or immediate removal, of the **Mor- 
mons" from Jackson County. They were unable, however, to 
unite on any plan, and the mob becoming the worse for liquor, 
the affair broke up in a ''Missouri row." 

The secret of their failure in accoraplishiiig anything was 
this; A few of the brethren, learning that such a meeting was 
being held, met for secret prayer, and petitioned the Father to 
frustrate the plans of this ungodly mob, who were seeking their 
destruction. The Lord, in view of the fact, doubtless, that this 
people were partially repenting of the evils for which they had 
been reproved, in his mercy heard their prayers, and thwarted 
the designs of their enemies. But the angry clouds of the 
threatened persecution had been merely drifted aside, not driven 
from the horizon; and in a few months they assumed a more 
threatening aspect than on their first appearance. 

The sectarian priests inhabiting Jackson and the surround- 
ing counties were earnestly engaged in fanning the flames of 
prejudice, already burning in the public mind. The Rev, Finis 
Ewing, the head and front of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
church, published this statement: "The ^Mormons^ are the com- 
mon enemies of mankind and ought to be destroyed." 

The Rev, Pixley, who had been sent out by the Missionary 
Society to Christianize the savages of the west, spent his time 

5 



74 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



in g^oing from house to house, seeking to destroy The Church by 
spreading slanderous falsehoods, to incite the people to acts of 
violence against the saints. 

Early in July, a document was in circulation known as the 
**Secret Constitution/' setting forth the alleged grievances of the 
mob, and binding all who signed it to assist in "removing the 'Mor- 
mons/ " The document set forth the following: The signers 
believed an important crisis was at hand in their civil society, 
because a pretended religious sect — the "Mormons*^ — had settled 
in their midst. The civil law did not at ord them a sufficient 
guarantee against the threatening evils, and therefore they had 
determined to rid themselves of the "Mormons," "peaceably if 
they could, forcibly if they must;" and for the better accomplish- 
ment of this object, they had organized themselves into a com- 
pany — pledging to each other their "bodily powers, their lives, 
fortunes, and sacred honors!" 

The saints are represented as being the very dregs of that 
' society from which they came; and also as being poor, ''idle 
lazy, and vicious," They are accused of claiming to receive direct 
revelation from God; to heal the sick by the laying on of hands; 
to speak in unknown tongues by inspiration; and, in short, '*to 
perform all the wonder-working miracles wrought by the in- 
spired apostles and prophets of God;" all of which, the docu- 
ment claims, "is derogatory of God and religion, and subversive 
of human reason." 

The signers of this document also accuse the saints of 
sowing dissensions and inspiring seditions among their slaves. 
They further charge that the "'Mormons" had invited "free people 
of color" to settle in Jackson County; and state that the intro- 
duction of such a caste among their slaves, would instigate them 
to rebel against their masters, and to bloodshed. 

The "Mormons" are also charged with having openly declared 
that God had given them the land of Jackson County; and that 
sooner or later they would possess it as an inheritance. The 



THE MISSOURI FERSECUTIONS, 



TS 



document then concludes by saying that if after timely warning, 
and receiving an adequate compensation for what property they 
could not take with them, the saints shall refuse to leave the 
county, such means as might be necessary to remove them were 
to be employed; and calls a meeting of the signers to convene at 
the court-house in Independence on the twentieth of July, to 
consult on subsequent movements. * 

It may not he amiss here to notice the charges made 
against the saints: 

The statement made by the mob that the '*civil law did not 
afford them a sufficient guarantee against the threatening evils" 
of which they complained, is good evidence that the saints, al- 
though they may have fallen far short of coming up to the 
full requirements of the high moral and spiritual laws of the 
gospel of Jesus Christ, had violated none of the laws of man^ — 
it is an acknowledgement that they lived above that law. 

As to the saints being the dregs of the society from which 
they came — it is untrue; they had a re3|>ectable standing in the 
society from which they came, and that society was far in ad- 
vance in civilization and enlightenment of the people of west- 
em Missouri. This is an old and oft repeated charge against 
the early members of The Church — this charge that they were 
of the "dregs of the society from which they came,'' and I re- 
peat again that it is not true. 1 know the usual method of de- 
fense is to concede the charge, and then quote the well-known 
and, I may add also, the well-worn passage from Paul's writings, 
where, in speaking of the early Christians, he says: "For ye 
see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after 
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God 
hath chosen the foolish things of the world, * * ♦ 



^ The document of which the foregoing is a summary was pub- 
lished m the December number (1833) of the Evening and Morning 
Star. 



76 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

the weak things of the world, * ♦ ♦ ^nd base 
things of the world, and things which are despised, ♦ ♦ ♦ 
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 
that no flesh should glory in his presence."* But however com- 
plete such an answer may have been in the days of Paul with 
reference to the Christians of the first century; and however 
satisfying it may be now in some particulars as to the char- 
acter of the early membership of The Church, so far as the 
charge, that the early members thereof were of the "dregs of 
that society from which they came," is concerned, there is a 
better course to pursue,' a more direct and perfect answer, a 
more complete argument; and that better course, that more 
complete answer, is to deny in toto the charge. I do deny it. 
It is not true. Nobler men and women than those who first em- 
braced the gospel of the Son of God in this last dispensation 
are not to be found; nobler spirits were not on earth. It counts 
for nothing that in the main they were poor in this world's 
goods. It is of little moment that they were not famous for 
learning in the schools of men. I care nothing about their 
not being regarded as constituting "polite society," having 
neither the leisure nor the means to cultivate the special graces 
supposed to go to the making of "polished" gentlemen and ladies. 
But honesty of heart, purity of motive, nobility of soul, right- 
eousness of life, devotion to God — all characteristics and all 
attributes which go to the making of a people worthy in the sight 
of God, may exist quite apart from all that man considers essen- 
tial to entitle certain of their fellow-men to be considered as 
forming "good society;" and these attributes the early members 
of The Church possessed. The Smiths, the Whitmers, the Cow- 
derys, the Johnsons, the Pages, the Corrills, the Knights, the 
Partridges, the Pratts, the Morleys, the Rigdons, the Whitneys, 
the Gilberts, the Aliens; and a little later, the Youngs, the Snows, 

* I Cor. chap. i. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



77 



the Kimballs, the Taylors, the Richardses-^and a host of others 
whose names do not appear so prominently in the very early 
history of The Church, were a class of people of whom both The 
Church and God might well be proud* So far removed were 
they from being the dregs of society that they were the very 
choicest part of it; respected and honored because possessed of 
those cardinal virtues which always command respect, however 
fallen the material fortunes, or humble the station or calling of 
those who possess them. Nor is this general statement concern- 
ing the respectability of the early members of The Church to be 
weakened because some of them were unhappily overcome of 
the worldj the flesh and ^the devil. It is not to be supposed that 
all who start in the way of salvation will be equal to the task 
of persevering to the end. The inherent weakness of human 
nature forbids us to hope for that. The innate weakness of many of 
the saints was made apparent. The gospel is calculated to do 
that. "If men come unto me I will show them their weakness/'* 
is the word of the Lord in the Book of Mormon, and indeed it is 
self-evident that if men are to be perfected — and that is the 
mission of the gospel — then it is necessary that their defects be 
pointed out to them; for the first step in reformation is to learn 
in what particular direction reformation is needed. All that 
can be said, then, against some of the early saints of this dispen- 
sation is that they manifested some of the sinfulness common to 
humanity, and much of that weakness which is the heritage of 
the sons of Adam; and some of them — many of them if you 
will — were not quite equal to the great task of overcoming 
that sinful nature, that human frailty. Meantime, their fu- 
ture is in the hands of God, and he alone will judge them. 
To the world we may say; "Who art thou that judgeth another 
man's servants? To his own master he standeth or f alleth. Yea, 



*Bther 12: 27. 



78 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

he shall be holden up; for God is able to make him stand."* 
The charge of idleness comes with a bad grace from the 
slave-holders of Missouri. Especially so since the charge is 
made against people chiefly from New England; who, what- 
ever other faults they may possess, can never be truthfully 
charged with idleness. In addition to the saints who settled 
in Missouri having been trained from childhood to habits of in- 
dustry in their former homes, they had received an express com- 
mand from God to labor, and the idler was not to eat the bread 
nor wear the garment of the laborer,t and unless the idler re- 
pented, he was to be cast out of The Church. J 

The saints in Missouri, it is true, claimed to receive reve- 
lations from God through the Prophet Joseph Smith; and they 
also enjoyed the gifts of tongues, and of healing the sick through 
the anointing with oil and the prayer of faith, in fulfillment of 
the promises of the Lord;§ but how all this can be "derogatory 
of God and true religion," when these blessings of revelation 
and the enjoyment of the spiritual gifts enumerated are the same 
as those that were possessed by the primitive Christians, 
which they were encouraged to "desire,"|| and have ever been 
regarded as a crowning glory of the early Church; or how they 
could be "subversive of human reason," can only be compre- 
hended by a Missouri mob, seeking a vain excuse for the destruc- 
tion of an unoffending people. 

The charge of sowing dissensions and inspiring seditions 
among the slaves, and inviting free people of color to settle in 
Jackson County, has no foundation in truth. The July number 
of the Evening and Morning Star, for 1833, contains an article 



*Rom. 14: 4. 
tPoc. & Cov. Sec. 42: 42. 
t Ibid, Sec. 75: 28. 
jst.james. 5: 14, 15 • 

II I Cor. 14: I. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 79 

on "Free People of Color," and publishes the laws of Missouri 
relating to that class of people. "Free people of color'' were 
negroes or mulattoes who were set free through the kindness 
of their masters, or who, by working extra hours, for which they 
were sometimes allowed pay, were able at last to purchase their 
liberty. Concerning such people the Missouri laws provided 
that: If any negro or mulatto come into the State of Missouri, 
without a certificate from a court of record in some one of the 
United States, evidencing that he was a citizen of such State, on 
complaint before any justice of the peace, such negro or mulatto 
could be commanded by the justice to leave the State; and if the 
colored person so ordered did not leave the State within thirty 
days, on complaint of any citizen, such person could be again 
brought before the justice who might commit him to the com- 
mon jail of the county, until the convening of the circuit court, 
when it became the duty of the judge of the circuit court to 
inquire into the cause of commitment; and if it was found that 
the negro or mulatto had remained in the State contrary to the 
provisions of this statute, the court was authorized to sentence 
such person to receive ten lashes on his or her bare back, and 
then order him or her to depart from the State; if the person so 
treated should still refuse to go, then the same proceedings 
were to be repeated, and punishment inflicted as often as was 
necessary until such person departed. 

And further: If any person brought into the State of Mis- 
souri a free negro or mulatto, without the aforesaid certificate 
of citizenship, for every such negro or mulatto the person offend- 
ing was liable to a forfeit of five hundred dollars; to be recov- 
ered by action of debt in the name of the State. The editor of 
the Star commenting upon this law said: 

Slaves are real estate in this and other states, and wisdom would 
dictate great care among the branches of The Church of Christ on this 
subject. So long as we have no special rule in The Church, as to people 
of color, let prudence guide; and while they, as well as we, are in 



80 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

the hands of a merciful God, we say: shun every appearance of evil. 

Publishing this law, and the above comment, was construed, 
by the old settlers, to be an invitation to free people of color to 
settle in Jackson County! Whereupon an extra was published to 
the July number of the Star on the sixteenth of the month, which 
said: 

The intention in publishing the article, **Free People of Color," 
was not only to stop free people of color from emigrating to Missouri, 
but to prevent them from being admitted as members of The Church.* 
♦ ♦ ♦ * To be short, we are opposed to having free 
people of color admitted into the State. 

But in the face of all this the mob still claimed that the 
article was merely published to give directions and cautions to 
be observed by colored brethren, to enable them upon their ar- 
rival in Missouri, to "claim and exercise the rights of citizenship." 
"Contemporaneous with the appearance of this article" — the 
above article in the Star — continued the charge published in the 
Western Monitor — "was the expectation among the brethren, that 
a considerable number of this degraded caste were only waiting 
this information before they should set out on their journey." f 



* In making the statement that it was the intention of the Siar 
article not only to stop •*free people of color*' emigrating to Missouri, 
but also to "prevent them from being admitted as members of The 
Church," the editor of the Star goes too far; if not in his second 
article, explaining the scope and meaning of the first, then in the first 
article; for he had no business to seek to prevent **free people of 
color" from being admitted members of The Church. And in forming 
a judgment of this matter the reader must remember that it is the 
statement of the editor of the 6^ar, and by no means represents the 
policy of The Church. As a matter of fact there were very few if any 
"free people of color" in The Church at that time. The "fears" of 
the Missourians on that head were sheer fabrications of evil-disposed 
minds. 

t Western Monitor for the 2nd of August, 1833. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 81 

And this base falsehood was used to inflame the minds of the 
old settlers against the saints. 

That the saints may have said the Lord would yet give 
them the land of Missouri for their inheritance, is doubtless true; 
but that they were to obtain it in any other than a legal way 
never entered their minds. They had been commanded of the 
Lord to purchase * the land for an inheritance. Besides, the 
elders stationed in Zion about this time, addressed an epistle to 
the churches abroad, in which they alluded to the gathering of 
ancient Israel, and pointing out the difference in their circum- 
stances and those by which the saints now were surrounded. 
Ancient Israel had been compelled to obtain the lands of their 
inheritance by the sword. "But/* the address adds, "to suppose 
that we can come up here, and take possession of this land by 
the shedding of blood, would be setting at naught the law of the 
glorious gospel and also the word of our Great Redeemer: and 
to suppose that we can take possession of this country without 
making regular purchases of the same, according to the laws of our 
nation, would be reproaching this great republic, in which* most 
of us were bom, and under whose auspices we all have protec- 
tion." t Nothing then can be clearer than that while the saints 
may have said that Missouri would eventually be the land of their 
inheritance, they were expecting to obtain it in a perfectly legiti- 
mate manner — by purchase. 

I have been particular in examining the charges made against 
the saints by their enemies in Jackson County, in order that 
my readers may know that wherein the things charged were not 
in and of themselves innocent, and no cause for offense what- 
ever, they were utterly without foundation in truth. 



* Doc. & Cov. Sec. 57: 3, 5. 

fEvening and Morning Star, July, 1833. 



82 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



\l 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE STORM BREAKS. 

IN answer to the call made for the citizens of Jackson County 
to assemble at the court house on the twentieth of July, 
1833, to devise means to rid the county of the "Mormons," be- 
tween four and five hundred gathered in from all parts of the 
county. Colonel Richard Simpson was elected chairman of the 
meeting, and James H. Floumoy and Colonel S. D. Lucas were 
chosen secretaries. A committee of seven was appointed by the 
chair to draft an address to the public, in relation to the object 
of the meeting; the following was the committee: Russel Hicks, 
Esq., Robert Johnson, Henry Childs, Esq., Colonel Jas. Hambright, 
Thomas Hudspeth, Joel F. Childs and Jas. M. Hunter. 

The address this committee reported repeated the false- 
hoods concerning the saints interfering with slaves, inviting 
free people of color to settle in Jackson County; and of the 
saints being the very dregs of the society from which they 
had emigrated; again charged them with most abject poverty, 
idleness, and of coming to obtain inheritances in Jackson County, 
"without money and without price." It declared that the evils 
which threatened their community, by the "Mormons" settling 
among them, were such as no one could have foreseen, and there- 
fore they were unprovided for by the laws; and the delays incident 
to legislation would put the mischief beyond all remedy. It ex- 
pressed the fear that if the saints were not interfered with, the 
day would not be far distant when the civil government of the 
county would be in their hands; when the sheriff, the justices, 
and the county judges would be "Mormons" or persons wishing to 



THE MISSOURI PEIiSECUTIONS. 83 

court their favor from motives of interest or ambition; and 
then the following: 

What would be the fate of our lives and property in the hands 
of jnrora and witnesses who do not blush to declare, and would not, 
upon occasion, hesitate to swear, that they have wrought miracles, 
and have been the subjects of miraculons and supernatural cures, 
have conversed with God and his angels, and possess and exercise the 
gifts of divination, and of unknown tongues, and fired with the pros- 
pects of obtaining inheritances without money and without price — 
may be better imagined than described.* 

However, in speaking of the gifts of the Spirit which the 
saints enjoyed — revelation, prophecy, speaking in tongues, heal- 
ing the sick, etc., the committee proposed to have nothing to 
say, but piously close the clause which refers to these things 
with the words: ''V^engeance belongs to God alone!" For the 
other things with which they charged the saints — each and all 
of them were utterly false except it might be in the matter of 
poverty. But even in this the truth was not stated. A few 
cases aside, the '^poverty'' in question was that poverty of the 
pioneer newly arrived in the wilderness which is to be the sub- 
sequent field of his enterprises and triumphs. Quite generally 
the saints went into Jackson County prepared to purchase lands 
and build homes; but pending the accomplishment of that, there 
was much inconvenience and some suffering for want of shelter 
and clothing; but ''abject poverty," apart fr{>m this, there was 
none. 

The conclusion of the mob in the whole matter was thus 
stated: 

That no Mormon shall in future move to or settle in this (Jack- 
son) county; that those now here, who shall give a definite pledge of 
their intention, within a reasonable time, to remove out of the county. 



* Western Monitor, August 2, 1833. 



84 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

f shall be allowed to remain unmolested, until they have sufficient time 
to sell their property, and close their business without material sacri- 
fice; that the editor of the Star be required forthwith to close his 
office, and discontinue the business of printing in this county; and as 
to all other stores and shops belonging to the sect, their owners must, 
in every case, strictly comply with the terms of the second article of 
this declaration, and upon failure, prompt and efficient measures will 
be taken to close the same; that the Mormon leaders here are required 
to use their influence in preventing any further immigration of their 
distant brethren to this county, and to counsel and advise their breth- 
ren here to comply with the above requisitions; that those who fail 
to comply with these requisitions be referred to those of their breth- 
ren who have the gifts of divination, and of unknown tongues, to in- 
form them of the lot that awaits them.* 

This address was unanimously adopted by the meeting, and a 
committee of twelve appointed to wait upon the "Mormon" lead- 
ers, and see that the foregoing requisitions were assented to by 
them. In case of a refusal on the part of the "Mormons" to com- 
ply with these demands, the committee, acting as the organ of 
Jackson County, were to inform them that it was the fixed determi- 
nation of the mob to adopt such means as would enforce their 
removal. 

The committee called upon Edward Partridge, A. S.Gilbert, 
John Corrill, Isaac Morley, John Whitmer, and W. W. Phelps, 
and demanded that they cease publishing the Star and close the 
printing oflSce, and that, as elders of the "Momon Church," they 
agree to move out of the county forthwith. [Three months was 
asked for by these elders in which to consider the proposition, 
and to give them time to counsel with The Church authorities in 
Ohio; as closing a printing ofl5ce and removing twelve hundred 
people from their home^as a work of no small moment!] But 
this time was denied them^They asked for ten days; but that was 



* Western Monitor, August 2, 1833. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



85 



Bot granted; fifteenjniimtes_only was jillowed them in which to 
decide. At this the conference^broke up, and the mob returned to 
the courthouse aniTreported to thejneetijiig that thej had called 
upon the "Mormon" leaders and that they refused to give a direct 
answer, but asked for time to consider the propositions and coun- 
sel with their brethren in Ohio. The meeting then resolved that 
the printing office be razed to the ground, and the type and 
press destroyed/ 

With demoniac yelk the mob surrounded the printing office 
and house of W, W, Phelps. Mrs. PhelpSj with a sick infant in 
her arms, and the rest of the children^ were forced out of tlieir 
home, the furniture was thrown into the street and garden, the 
press was broken, the type pied; the revelations, book- work and 
papers were nearly all destroyed or kept by the mob; and the 
printing office and house of W, W. Phelps were razed to the 
ground. Having reduced these buildings to a mass of ruins, the 
mob proceeded to demolish the mercantile establishment of Gil- 
bert, Whitney & Co., and destroy the goods; but when Mr. Gil- 
bert assured them that the gotwls would be packed hj the twenty- 
third, they desisted from their work of destruction-j 

But their fiendish hate had not spent its force. With hor- 
rible yells and cursings loud, they sought for the leading elders. 
Men, women and children ran in all directions, not knowing what 
would befall them. The mob caught Bishop Edward Partridge 
and Charles Allen, and dragged them through the maddened crowd, 
which insulted and abused' them along the road to the public 
square. Here two alternatives were presented them: either 
they must renounce their faith in the Book of Monnon, or leave 
the county. The Book of Mormon they would not deny, nor con- 
sent to leave the county. Bishop Partridge, being permitted to 
speak, said that the saints had to suffer persecution in all ages 
of the world, and that he was willing to suffer for the sake of 
Christ, as the saints in former ages had done; that he had done 
nothing which ought to offend anyone, and that if they abused 



86 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



him, they would injure aa innocent man. Here his voice was 
drowned by the tumult of the crowd, many of whom were shout- 
ing: "Call upon your God to deliver you — pretty Jesus you wor- 
ship 1" These expressions, intermingled as they were with the 
vile oaths of the mob, were enough to put hell itself to shame. 
The two brethren, Partridge and Allen, were stripped of their 
outer clothing, and daubed with tar, mixed with lime, or pearl- 
ash, or some other flesh-eating acid, and a quantity of feathers 
scattered over them. They bore this cruel indignity and abuse 
with so much resignation and meekness that the crowd grew 
still, and appeared astonished at what they witnessed. The 
brethren were permitted to retire in silence — in silence, except 
w^hen it was broken by the voice of a sister, ciying aloud: 

While you who have done this wicked deed must suffer the ven- 
geance of God, they, having endured persecution, can rejoice, for hence- 
forth for them is laid up a crown eternal in the heavens! 

By this time it was getting late and the mob suddenly disr- 
persed. As night drew her sable mantle over the scene of ruin, 
those w^bo had escaped to the w^oods and corn fields began to 
return, to learn what had befallen their friends. Wives anxiously 
inquired of the fate of their husbands, and children of the fate 
of their parents. There can be nothing more sad than this seek- 
ing to remove uncertainty in such cases. It is like seeking the 
dead and wounded on the battlefield, or the missing, the 
maimed or the dead after an earthquake, or some devouring 
tempest or flood — so much alike, at least in their results, are 
the eruptions of the elements and the fierce, uncontrolled pas- 
sions of man. Before each the timid and the helpless fly to such 
shelter as they find at hand. Some seek safety in flight, others 
in hiding from the storm or from wrath. Then when temporary 
safety is seemingly assured, thoughts for the safety of others 
assert themselves. The desire for the safety of the loved ones — 
a wife, a husband, a child, a parent, a brother, a friend — be- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 87 

comes an agony. Love by degrees conquers fear, and at last 
prompts the facing of danger much greater than those from 
which at first they fled, and the loved ones are sought despite of 
all risks to personal safety. So it was with the saints who 
had been so unexpectedly assailed. On this occasion, however, 
those returning from flight or hiding had nothing to discover 
beyond the destruction of the printing press, the wrecking of 
the Phelps home, the looting of Gilbert's store, and the abuse of 
Partridge and Allen. Enough surely for one day of persecution, 
but not to be compared with scenes they yet would witness! 

The outrages of this day were the more reprehensible he^ 
cause of the character of the leaders of the mob. In the main 
they were the county officers— the county judge, the constables, ' 
clerks of the court and justices of the peace; while Lilbum W. 
Boggs, the lieutenant-governor, the second officer in the state, 
was there quietly looking on and secretly aiding every measure 
of the mob — who, walking among the ruins of the printing office j 
and house of W. W. Phelps, remarked to some of the saints, [ 
"You now know what our Jackson boys can do, and you must 
leave the country!" 



y 



88 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THREATS OF THE MOB — APPEAL OP THE SAINTS. 

THE third day after the events related in the preceding 
chapter, the mob, to the number of some five hundred, 
again came dashing into Independence bearing a red flag, and 
armed with rifles, pistols, dirks, whips and clubs. They rode in 
every direction in search of the leading elders, making the day 
hideous with their inhuman yells and wicked oaths. They declared 
it to be their intention to whip those whom they captured with 
from fifty to five hundred lashes each, allow their negroes to 
destroy their crops, and demolish their dwellings. Said they: 

"We will rid Jackson County of the 'Mormons,' peaceably 
if we can, forcibly if we must. If they will not go without, we 
will whip and kill the men; we will destroy their children, and 
ravish their womenF* 

"We will ravish their women!" 

A threat most horrible. Worse than murder; for murder 
has in it yet some mercy as compared with ravishment, that 
worst exercise of brute force against helpless innocence. Murder 
when it has completed its work leaves its victim senseless and 
peaceful in death; "afterlife's fitful dream is over," he may sleep 
well. But what damning torments must that breast suffer which 
is robbed of its peace by brutal force! How deep the woe that 
bears the burden of an outraged modesty! How agonizing to be 
an object of pity! How much more cruel the living tortures of 
a life so humiliated than the calmness and the peace of death! 
When devils would with their direst terrors shake a people they 
say. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 89 

We will 7*avish ymir women! 

The leading elders, seeing their own liveB, and the property 
and lives of those over whom they presided ia jeopardy, resolved 
to offer themselves as a ransom for The Church— willing to he 
scourged, or even pot to death if that wonld satisfy their 
tormentors, and stop their inhuman cruelties practiced toward 
the flock of which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers. 
The men who thus offered their own lives for the lives of their 
friends were : 

John Correal, A. S. Gilbert, 

John Whitmer, Edward Partridge, 

W. W, Phelps, Isaac Morley. 

Forever let their names be known throughout all Israel as 
men who have given the greatest evidence within the powder of 
man to give, that they loved the brethren. * 'Greater love hath 
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends;" 
and that faith which will inspire in man a love for his fellows; 
that will lead him to offer his life as a ransom for his brethren, 
is so nearly akin to that faith and love which glowed within the 
breast of the Divine Master, that its source cannot he mistaken. 
But the inhuman wretches who had combined to drive the saints 
from their homes in Jackson County, were insensible to the 
sublime manifestations of love they witnessed. It appealed not 
to their adamantine hearts. With brutal imprecations they told 
these men that not only they, but every man, woman and child 
w^ould be whipped or scourged until they consented to leave the 
county, as they had decreed that the * 'Mormons" should leave 
the county, or they **or the *Mormons* must die" 

The presiding brethren, finding that there was no alterna- 
tive but for them to leave speedily or witness innocent blood 
shed by fiends incarnate, concluded to leave Jackson County. 
A new^ committee was selected by the mob to confer with the 
brethren, and the following agreement was entered into: 
e 



90 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

The leading elders with their families were to move from 
the county by the first of January following; and to use their 
influence to induce all their brethren to leave as soon as possible, 
one half by the first of January, 1834, and the remainder by 
April, 1834. They were also to use all the means in their 
power to stop any more of their brethren moving into the 
county; and also to use their influence to prevent the saints 
then enroute for Missouri settling permanently in Jackson 
County, but for those then on the way they were to be per- 
mitted to make temporary arrangements for shelter until a new 
location was agreed upon by the society. John Corrill and A. 
S. Gilbert were to be allowed to remain as general agents to 
settle up the business of The Church, so long as necessity required. 
Gilbert, Whitney & Co. were to be permitted to sell out their 
merchandise then on hand, but no more was to be imported. 
The Evening and Morning Star was not again to be published, 
nor a press established by any member of The Church in the 
county. Edward Partridge and W. W. Phelps were to be 
allowed to pass to and from the county to wind up their busi- 
ness affairs, provided they moved their families from the county 
by the first of January following. On the part of the mob, the 
committee pledged themselves to use all their influence to pre- 
vent any violence being used against the saints, so long as the 
foregoing stipulations were complied with on the part of The 
Church.* 

A day or two after this treaty was entered into. The 
Church in Zion dispatched Oliver Cowdery to Ohio to confer 
with the general Church authorities on the situation of the saints 
in Missouri. This conference resulted in the general authorities 
sending as special messengers Elders Orson Hyde and John 
Gould to Jackson County, with instructions to the saints not to 



^Evening and Morning Star, p. 229. 



THE MISSOURI PEESECUTIONS. 



91 



dispose of their lands or other property, nor remove from the 
county, except those who had signed the a^eement to do so. 

Meantime the saints attempted to settle in Van Buren, the 
county joining Jackson on the south (the name has since been 
changed to Cass), but the people of that county, after the 
saints commenced a settlement, drew up an agreement to drive 
them from there^ and destroy the fruits of their labors; so they i 
were obliged to return to their former homes. ^ 

While the saints were making efforts to carry out the first 
part of the stipulation entered into with the mob of Jackson 
County, the mob on their part failed to refrain from acts of 
violence. Daily the saints were insulted. Houses were broken 
into, and the inmate threatened with being mobbed if they stirred 
in their defense. But Truth began to make herself heard. As the 
fiendish acts of the mob became known, they called forth execra- 
tions from various quarters. A number of articles published ift. 
I the Western Monitor , printed at Fayette, Howard County,^ 
Missouri, censured the conduct of the mob, and suggested that 
the saints seek redress of the State authorities for the wrongs 
they had sufl'ered. Whereupon the leaders of the mob began 
to threaten life, and declared that if any '^Mormon** attempted to 
seek redress by law or otherwise, for defamation of character, . 
or loss of property, he should die, ^f 

These threats, however, did not deter the saints from] 
appeahng to the chief executive of the State for a redress of 
[ grievances. A petition setting forth their suffering, and deny- 
ing the allegations of the mob, was presented by Orson Hyde 
and W. W, Phelps to Daniel Dunklin, who, at the time, was 
governor of the State. In addition to relating the story of their 
wrongs, and denying the charges made by the mob, upon which 
the old settlers of Jackson County depended to excuse or defend 
their acts of cruelty tow^ard the saints, the petition set forth 
that w^henever that fatal hour arrived that the poorest citizen's 
person, property, or rights and privileges shall be trampled 



92 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

upon by lawless mobs with impunity, "that moment a dagger is 
plunged into the heart of the Constitution of the country, and 
the Union must tremble * * * -^e solicit," said they, 
"assistance to obtain our rights; holding ourselves amenable to 
the laws of our country, whenever we transgress them." They 
asked the governor by express proclamation or otherwise to 
raise a sufficient number of troops, who, with themselves, might 
be empowered to defend their rights; that they might sue for 
damages for the loss of property, for abuse, for defamation 
of character, and, if advisable, try for treason those who had 
trampled upon law and government, that the law of the land 
might not be defied, nor nullified, but peace restored to the 
country. 

To this very reasonable request Governor Dunklin made a 
patriotic reply. He stated he would think himself unworthy 
the confidence with which he had been honored by his fellow- 
citizens, did he not promptly employ all the means which the 
Constitution and laws had placed at his disposal to avert the 
calamities with which the saints were threatened, and added: 

Ours is a government of laws, to them we all owe obedience, and 
their faithful administration is the best guarantee for the enjoyment 
of our rights. No citizen, nor number of citizens, have a right to 
take the redress of their grievances, whether real or imaginary, into 
their own hands. Such conduct strikes at the very existence of society, 
and subverts the very foundation on which it is based. I am not 
willing to persuade myself that any portion of the citizens of the 
State of Missouri are so lost to a sense of these truths as to require 
the exercise of fiyrcey in order to insure respect for them. 

He advised the threatened saints, therefore, to make a trial 
of the efficacy of the laws; that wherein their lives had been 
threatened, they make affidavit to that effect before the 
circuit judge, or the justices of the peace in their respective 
districts, whose duty it then became to bind the threatening 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 93 

parties to keep the peace. By this experiment it would be 
proven whether the laws could be executed or not; and in the 
event that they could not be peacefully executed, the governor 
pledged himself, on being officially notified of that fact, to take 
such steps as would insure a favorable execution of them. 

As to the injuries the saints had sustained in the loss of 
property, the governor advised them to seek redress by civil 
process — expressing the opinion that the courts would grant 
them relief.* 

I do not doubt the sincerity of Governor Dunklin in 
giving this counsel to the saints, and under ordinary circum- 
stances to seek redress at the hands of the civil authorities 
would be the proper thing to do. But in this case the officers of 
the law had been the head and front of this high-handed and 
infamous proceeding. In proof of this statement I give the 
names and offices held by those who were most active in the 
lawless proceeding related: 

S. D. Lucas, colonely and judge qf the county court; 

Samuel C. Owens, county clerk; 

RussEL Hicks, deputy clerk; 

John Smith, justice qf the peace; 

Samuel W^aTON, justice of the peace; 

William Brown, constable; 

Thomas Pitcher, deputy constable. 

Besides these there were Indian agents, postmasters, doc- 
tors, lawyers and merchants. 

These were the men who had despoiled the saints — these 
the ones, in connection with the secret assistance of the lieu- 
tenant governor of the State, Lilburn W. Boggs, who inflamed 
the minds of the ignorant frontier settlers against an innocent 
people, and encouraged the vicious to maltreat the virtuous. 



* Evening and Morning Star, p. 351. 



94 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

These were the men who on the 23rd of July of the same year 
had said: 

" We will rid Jackson County oj the ^Mormons' peaceMy jf 
we can, forcibly if we must. Ij they will not go withoui, we will 
whip and kill the men; we will destroy the lives of their children, 
and ravish their womenF* And these were the men — the officers 
of justice, to whom the "Mormons" were to appeal for a redress 
of grievances! To say the least, does it not smack of "going 
to law with the devil, when court is to convene in hell?" Surely 
it was only a forlorn hope the saints could entertain of being 
redressed for their wrongs by appealing to the very parties who 
inflicted those wrongs upon them; and yet it was about the only 
course open to the governor to suggest at that time. Being 
willing to magnify the law, the saints acted upon the governor's 
advice. For this purpose they engaged the services of four 
lawyers from Clay County, then attending court at Independence, 
viz.: Messrs. Wood, Reese, Doniphan and Atchison. These gen- 
tlemen engaged to plant all the suits the saints might wish to 
present before the courts, and agreed to attend to them jointly 
throughout for one thousand dollars. W. W. Phelps and Bishop 
Partridge gave their notes for that sum, endorsed by Gilbert & 
\ Whitney. 

1 ./ No sooner did the mob witness these movements than they 
{began to prepare for further hostilities. The red right hand of 
persecution was again armed to plague the saints. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 95 



CHAPTER IX. 

AGAIN THE STORM. 

HAVING made all necessary preparations for obtaining by 
civil process redress for the wrongs inflicted upon them 
by the mob, Sunday, the twentieth day of October, 1833, the 
saints declared publicly that as a people they intended to de- 
fend their lands and homes. The next day the leaders of the 
mob began to prepare to inflict further violence upon them. 
Strict orders were circulated among the saints not to be the 
aggressors, but to warn the mob not to come upon them. Court 
was to convene on Monday, thfe 28th of October, and it was 
expected that some of the leaders of the mob would be required 
to file bonds to keep the peace. 

While these preparations were progressing among the saints, 
the mob were not idle. They resorted to their old method of cir- 
culating false rumors about the "Mormons." The blasphemy of 
their doctrines; their intentions to take possession of Jackson 
County by force; the incompatibility between the old settlers 
and the "Mormons," were all urged, and the conclusion reached 
that a war of extermination must be waged against the saints 
in the name of self-preservation. 

Saturday, the 26th, about fifty of the mob met in counsel, 
and "voted to a hand to move the 'Mormons;' " and as an earnest 
of their intentions, attacked a number of families who had but 
lately arrived from Ohio and Indiana, but without inflicting 
much injury. Monday, the 28th, the circuit court convened, 
but very few people were in attendance. There was no mob 
there, but threats of the most violent character were made. 



96 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

The night of October 31st, however, may be regarded as 
the time when hostilities recommenced in earnest. That night 
the mob to the number of forty or fifty proceeded against a 
branch of The Church located on the stream called Big Blue, 
known as the Whitmer settlement. They shamefully whipped 
nearly to death several of the brethren, among whom was Hiram 
Page. With brutal threats they frightened helpless women and 
children and drove them into the wilderness in the middle of the 
night, and then unroofed and demolished ten or twelve houses. 

This outrage was followed up the next night, November 
1st, by an attack upon the saints living in Independence and 
vicinity. Their houses were brickbatted, doors broken down, 
and long poles thrust through their windows. A party of the 
brethren had gathered for protection about half a mile west of 
Independence, and to them word was sent that the mob were 
tearing down the store of Gilbert, Whitney &*Co., and destroy- 
ing their goods. Whereupon these brethren went in a body to the 
store. At their approach the main body of the mob fled. One 
of their number, bolder than his fellows, remained, however, 
and continued sending brickbats and stones through the shat- 
tered doors and windows, while the goods were scattered around 
him in the street. This man the brethren took prisoner, and 
brought him immediately before Samuel Weston, justice of the 
peace, entered a complaint, and asked that a warrant be issued 
that he, Richard McCarty, might be secured. But the justice 
refused to make out the warrant, or do anything in the matter, 
and McCarty was turned loose. 

The same night an attack was projected upon another 
branch of The Church, known as the Colesville branch, located 
in Kaw Township, about twelve miles west of Independence. 
The mob sent two of their number, Robert Johnson and one 
Harris, as spies, armed with two guns and three pistols. They 
were discovered by some of the brethren, among whom was 
Parley P. Pratt. Without provocation Johnson struck Pratt 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 97 

over the head with the breech of his gun, which staggered him 
for a moment, and made the blood flow in streams down his face. 
These two men were taken and detained as prisoners through 
the night. The spies not returning rather disconcerted the 
mob, and it is generally supposed prevented an attack that night 
upon the Colesville branch. The morning following, Johnson and 
Harris were given their arms, and permitted to return, to their 
companions, without receiving injury from the hands of those 
whom they had so maliciously assaulted,* and into whose power 
they had fallen. 

On the night of November 2nd, a party of the mob went 
against the branch located on Big Blue, unroofed one -house and 
destroyed some furniture. They also broke into the house of 
David Bennett, whom they found sick in bed. Being unable to 
resist them, they beat him most unmercifully, and swore they 
would blow out his brains. One of their number shot at him 
with a pistol, but the ball instead of entering his head, as evi- 
dently intended, cut a deep gash across the top of it, which, 
however, did not prove fatal. 

While the mob were in the act of beating Bennett, a number 
of the brethren who had gathered in a body for mutual pro- 
tection came upon the scene, and a firing of guns commenced. 
Both parties claim that the other began the attack, but which 
party began the firing does not matter here. If the brethren 
opened the fire, they were altogether justified in doing so under 
the circumstances. Women and children were running here and 
there screaming with terror, not knowing where to go for safety. 
Their piteous cries, mingled with the brutal oaths of the 
mob, and the firing of guns, made the night hideous. In the 
melee a young man acting with the mob was shot through the 
thigh, but by which party it is not known. 

This day also the saints in Independence gathered in a body 
as much as possible, about half a mile west of the town, for the 
purpose of better defending themselves against their enemies. 



98 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

The day following the events just detailed, Joshua Lewis, 
Hiram Page, and two others were despatched to Lexington, to 
see John F. Ryland, judge of the circuit court, and obtain a 
peace warrant. The saints had previously applied to Squire 
Silvens for such a warrant, but he refused to grant it. They 
read to him the governor's letter, which directed them to pro- 
ceed in that manner, but he replied that he cared nothing for 
what the governor said. Either his fears of the mob were 
greater than his respect for the governor, or the law, or he was 
.un hearty sympathy with the rioters. Judge Ryland issued a 
n^ peace warrant on the 6th; but whether it ever reached the hands 
1 \of the co'unty sheriff or not I cannot learn. If placed in his 
\ hands, then he refused to serve it. But the most reasonable 
j conclusion is, that in consequence of the exciting times and un- 
I Settled state of affairs in Jackson County, it never reached his 
\1 iands. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 99 



CHAPTER X. 

THE PASSIVELY GOOD. 

THERE were a few of the citizens of Jackson County who 
did not take part in these shameful proceedings against 
The Church. They were friendly disposed towards the saints, 
but lacked the courage to speak out boldly in their defense, or 
take up arms to protect suffering innocence. This is often the 
case with the passively good; with "conservative" citizens. They 
have no sympathy with rioters, or with mob lawlessness. They 
are ready to say that such conduct is outrageous, and even a 
menace to free institutions, and incompatible with freedom; 
but further than this they do not go. Their conception of good 
citizenship does not lead them to be active in resisting aggres- 
sions upon the liberties of others; especially when those "others" 
are people with whom they have but little sympathy. \They 
seem not to have learned that those who would preserve their 
own rights and freedom must insist upon the rights and liberty 
of every man being respected and assured^ It is vain, and 
especially in a republic is it vain, for any man to suppose that 
the freedom of any citizen or class of citizens, however humble 
or even unpopular they may be, can be infringed without en- 
dangering the rights and freedom of all. Many otherwise, 
good citizens of the Republic — simple and fundamental to the 
preservation of rights and freedom as is this principle- — seem so 
far to fail in appreciation of it, that they stand by while the rights 
of others are invaded, and sometimes swept away, without making 
so much as a protest against the injustice. They are content 
if only their own personal and immediate rights are not directly 



100 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

assailed. The result is that an active minority — often, in fact, 
an insignificant part of the community, and contemptible of 
character — are permitted to perpetrate outrages upon worthy 
though it may be unpopular citizens, that bring disgrace upon the 
State, and endanger liberty itself. Such was the case in the 
present instance with those who were not in sympathy with the 
mob; and yet so far were they from standing up for the rights 
of those whom they confessed were unjustly assailed, that they 
advised the saints to leave the State immediately, as the wound- 
ing of the young man on the night of the 2nd had enraged the 
whole county against them; and it was a common expression 
among the mob that Monday (the 4th of November), would be a 
J "bloody day." 



THE MISSOUEI PERSECUTIONS, 



101 



CHAPTER XL 

A ''bloody day." 

EARLY on Monday the mob took the ferry-boat on Big Blue, 
west of Independence, whicb belonged to the aa-ints, driv- 
ing the owners away with threats of violence. From tiience 
they went to a store, about one mile west of the ferry, kept by 
one Wilson. Word was brought to a branch of The Church 
located several miles still further west from the ferry, that the 
mob east of the Blue were destroying property, and the saints 
needed assistance. Upon hearing this, nineteen of the brethren 
volunteered to go to their aid; but on approaching Wilson's 
store they learned that the mob were there, and that the report 
of the destruction ol property east of the Blue was false. The 
company started to return to their homes, but two small boys 
passing on their way to Wilson's store saw this company, and 
reported to the mob that the "Mormons" were^ on the road west of 
them. At this the mob, which numbered between forty anJ fifty, 
started in pursuit, and soon came in sight of the company of 
volunteers, which, at the enemy*s approach, fled in all directions. 
The mob gave hot pursuit, hunting for the brethren through the 
com fields, and even searching the houses of the saints for them; 
at the same time threatening the women and children with 
violence if they did not tell where the men were hiding. They 
fed their horses in Christian Whitmer's com field, and took him 
and pointed their guns at him, threatening Ms life if he did not 
tell them where the brethren were. 

Two or three of the company who were dispersed by the 
mob made their way to the Colesville branch of The Church, 



102 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



wWch was but about three miles away, A company of thirty men 
was quickly formed, and although they were armed with but 
seventeen guns, and knew their enemies were more numerous 
than they, and better armed, they promptly marcbed to the assist- 
ance of their brethren. They found the mob hunting for their 
victims, and threatening the women and children. A^ tbe mob 
saw this new company approaching, some of them shouted **Fire, 
God daWtU ye, firer and then they themselves fired two or three 
shots at the approaching company. This fire was promptly re- 
turned by a volley from the brethren, at w^hich the mob fled, 
leaving two of their number and some of their horses dead on 
the ground. The two killed were Hugh L. Brazeale and Thomas 
Linviile. Brazeale had been known to say, "with ten fellows I 
will wade to my knees in blood, but what I will drive the 'Mor- 
mons' from Jackson County." 

The first shots fired by the mob wounded Philo Dibble in the 
bowels, the balls remaining in him. As he bled much inwardly 
his bowels became swollen, and his life was despaired of. New^el 
Knight, however, administered to Mm, by laying on hands in the 
name of Jesus Christ, and a purifying fire penetrated his whole 
system. He discharged several quarts of blood and corruption, 
with which was one of the balls that inflicted his wounds. He was 
immediately healed, and remained an able-bodied man, and per- 
formed military duty for a number of years afterguards,* 

A brother by the name of Andrew Barber was mortally 
w^ounded — his death occurred the next day. 

This battle was fought about sundown, and during the night 
the mob dispatched runners in all directions with the false re^ 



* Philo Dibble lived to take part in the defense of the city of Nau- 
voo» some thirteen years later; afterwardi removed with The Clmrch 
to the Rocky Mountains, settling finally in SpringviHe, Utah County, 
where he died in full faith of the gospel at the advanced age of 90, 
on the sixth of June 1895. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



103 



port that the **Mormons" had "Wz;" that they had been joined by 
the Indians, and had taken Independence; that the " ^Mormons* 
had gone into Wilson's store and shot his son,'* with other rumors 
that were calculated to excite the people, and* enrage them 
against the saints. — , 

The same day, November 4th, a most extraordinary alTair { 
occurred at Independence. We have already told how a number 
of the brethren caup^ht Richard McCarty on the night of Novem- 
ber 1st, in the act of hurling stones and brickbats through the 
doors and windows of Gilbert, Whitney & Co.'s store, while the 
goods — calicoes, shawls^ cambric handkerchiefs, etc— were 
scattered around him in the street; and how the brethren took 
him before the justice of the peace, Samuel Weston, and asked 
for a warrant to be issued against him, and bow the justice re- 
fused to issue the warrant. But on this fourth day of Novem- 
ber, Richard McCarty obtained a warrant from this same justice 
of the peace for the arrest of A. S. Gilbert, Wm. E. McLellin, 
Isaac Morley, John Corrill, and three or four others, charging them 
with assault and battery, and false imprisonment In relation to 
this matter Brother Corrill tersely remarks, ^^Although we could 
not obtain a warrant against him for breaking open the store, | 
yet he had gotten one for us, for catching him at it." — ^ 

The trial of these men was in progress in the courthouse at 
Independence, when the news of the battle west of the Blue was 
brought to town. But instead of being reported correctly, it 
was said that the **Monnons" had gone into Wilson's house and 
shot his son. This so enraged the crowd that were in attend- 
ance at the trial that a rush was made for the prisoners, to kill 
them. This, however, was prevented; and at the suggestion of 
Samuel C. Owens, clerk of the county court, those on trial w^ere 
Locked up in jail for their own safety. During the night the 
mob were busy collecting arms and ammunition, making every 
preparation for a general massacre of the saints the next day. 

The brethren who were imprisoned were frequently told of 



104 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

these warlike preparations during the night, and that, too, by 
men of note; and were further informed that nothing but their 
leaving the county would prevent bloodshed. Whereupon the 
brethren consented to leave the county, and furthermore agreed 
to go and consult with their brethren on the subject of all the 
members of The Church leaving. For this purpose Gilbert, 
Morley, and Corrill were accompanied by the sheriff and two 
others to the branch of The Church some half a mile from Inde-^^ 
pendence; and there held an interview with their brethren upon 
the subject of their moving from the county, to which the mem- 
bers of that branch consented. 

The sheriff and his prisoners then returned to the jail — ^it 
being about two o'clock in the morning. As they approached 
the jail they were halted by a company of armed men, six or 
seven in number. The sheriff answered them, giving his own 
name and the names of his prisoners, at the same time exclaim- 
ing, "Don't fire, don't fire, the prisoners are in my charge T 
Morley and Corrill turned and fled, and the party who had halted 
them fired one or two shots after them. Gilbert stood his ground,, 
and while the sheriff held him, several guns were presented at. 
him. Two of the men, more desperate than the rest, attempted 
to shoot him, but their guns missed fire; seeing that they failed 
to shoot him, one of the party, Thomas Wilson, knocked him 
down. His life, however, was preserved, and his injuries were 
not very serious. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 105 



CHAPTER Xn. 

THE "honor'* op a MOB. 

^f^HE morning of the 5th of November witnessed the people 
X from all parts of the county crowding well armed into Inde- 
pendence. But few knew of the agreement made by the saints 
in and about Independence to leave the county; and the presence 
of the armed crowds was made the occasion of calling out the 
militia. This last move was at the instigation of Lieutenant 
Governor Boggs — at least such was the report among the people 
that day. The command of this militia was given to Colonel 
Pitcher, but the men who had formerly been the mob made up 
the ranks of the militia; and the only difference between the 
mob and the militia was that the mob organized as a militia were 
prepared to adopt more effective measures in driving the saints 
from their homes than before they were so organized. The 
colonels in command — Pitcher and Lucas— were known as the bit- 
ter enemies of the saints, and their names were attached to the 
agreement, circulated in the July previous, to drive them from 
the county. From such a militia, oflScered by such men as Pitcher/ 
and Lucas, the saints could hope for no protection. _1 

The branches of The Church west of Independence did not 
hear of the agreement of the Independence branch to leave the 
county, but reports reached them that a number of their breth- 
ren were imprisoned, and that the mob were determined to kill 
them. About a hundred of the brethren gathered from the 
various branches, and marched in a body to assist those in peril. 
They halted about a mile west of Independence, to ascertain the 
situation of affairs. Learning that the mob had not attacked 



106 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

the branch at Independence, and that the militia was called out, 
they concluded to quietly disperse and go to their homes. But 
they had been seen on the road, and it was reported that the 
"Mormons" were on the march toward Independence, with the 
intention, no doubt, to do mischief. 

Hearing this, the militia under Colonel Pitcher became en- 
raged, and would only consent to grant the people peace on the 
condition of their agreeing to deliver up certain men, engaged 
in the battle the evening before, to be tried for murder and 
surrendering their arms. To this last proposition Lyman Wight, 
who, it appears, acted as the leader of the body of brethren that 
had marched to Independence, would not consent, unless Colonel 
Pitcher would also disarm the mob. To this the colonel cheer- 
fully agreed; and pledged his honor, with that of Lieutenant 
Governor Boggs, Samuel C. Owens, and others, to carry out his 
promise. * 

Upon this treaty being made the brethren surrendered their 
arms — in all, forty-nine guns and one pistol. They also gave up 
a number of the parties who were engaged the night before in 
the battle, to be tried for murder. These men were detained a 
day and a night, during which time they were insulted, threat- 
ened, and brickbatted; and after receiving a mockery of a trial, 
Colonel Pitcher let them go, after taking an old watch from one 
of them to satisfy costs! 

The agreement made by Colonel Pitcher, to disarm the mob, 
was never executed; but as soon as the brethren had surrendered 
their arms, bands of armed men were turned loose upon them. 
Lyman Wight was chased by one of these gangs across an open 
prairie for five miles, but fortunately escaped. He lay three 
weeks in the woods, and was without food three days and nights. 
He was hunted by the mob through Jackson, Lafayette, and 
Clay counties, and also through the Indian Territory. Some of 



* Times and Seasons, 1843, P- 263. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 107 

the parties who were hounding him were asked why it was they 
had so much against him, to which they replied: "He believes in 
Joe Smith and the Book of Mormon, G — d d — n him; and we 
believe Joe Smith to be a d — d rascal!*' 

The men who had made up the rank and file of the militia 
on the 5th of November, the next day were riding over the 
country in armed gangs threatening men, women and children 
with violence, searching for arms, and brutally tying up and 
whipping some of the men, and shooting at others. The leaders 
of these ruffians were some of the prominent men of the county; 
Colonel Pitcher and Lieutenant Governor Boggs being among thjB 
number. The priests in the county, it seems, were determined 
not to be outdone by the politicians, for the Reverend Isaac 
McCoy and other preachers of the gospel (!) were seen leading 
armed bands of marauders from place to place; and were tljie 
main inspirers of cowardly assaults on the defenseless. 

All through this day and the day following (the 6th and 7th 
of November,) women and children were fleeing in every direc- 
tion from the presence of the merciless mob. One company of 
one hundred and ninety — all women and ^children, except three 
decrepit old men — were driven thirty miles across a burnt prairie. 
The ground was thinly crusted with sleet, and the trail of these 
exiles was easily followed by the blood which flowed from their 
lacerated feet!* This company and others who joined them 
erected some log cabins for temporary shelter, and not knowing 
the limits of Jackson County, built them within the borders 
thereof. Subsequently, in the month of January, 1834, parties 
of the mob again drove these people, and burned their wretched 
cabins, leaving them to wander without shelter in the most severe 
winter months. Many of them were taken suddenly ill and died. 



* layman Wight's affidavit, Times and Seasons, 1843, p. 264. 



108 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SCENES ON THE BANKS OP THE MISSOURI — ^EXILED. 

OTHER parties during the two days mentioned flocked to the 
Missouri River, and crossed at the ferries into Clay County. 
One of the companies of distressed women and children were 
kindly lodged by a Mr. Bennett for the night in his house. We 
speak of this because acts of benevolence toward the saints 
were so rare that whenever they occur they should be chronicled. 
In one of the companies that went to Clay County was a 
woman named Ann Higbee who had been sick for many months 
with chills and fever, — she was carried across the river, appar- 
ently a corpse. Another woman named Keziah Higbee, in the 
most delicate condition, lay on the banks of the river all night, 
while the rain descended in torrents, and under these circum- 
stances was delivered of a male child; but the mother died a 
premature death through the exposure. All the pity the parties 
received from their relentless persecutors was this brutal expres- 
sion, "G — d d — ^n you, do you believe in Joe Smith now?" The 
scene that was witnessed on the banks of the Missouri on the 
seventh of November is so graphically described in the Prophet 
Joseph's history that I cannot forbear inserting it here: 

The shores began to be lined on both sides of the ferry with men, 
women and children, goods, wagons, boxes, chests, provisions, etc.; 
while the ferrymen were busily employed in crossing them over; and 
when night again closed upon the saints, the wilderness had much 
the appearance of a camp-meeting. Hundreds of people were seen 
in every direction; some in tents, and some in the open air, around 
their fires, while the rain descended in torrents. Husbands were, 
inquiring for their wives, and women for their husbands; parents for 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 109 

children, and children for parents. Some had the good fortune to 
escape with their family household goods, and some provisions; while 
others knew not of the fate of their friends, and had lost all their goods. 
The scene was indescribable, and would have melted the hearts of 
any people upon earth, except the blind oppressor and prejudiced 
and ignorant bigot. Next day the company increased, and they were 
chiefly engaged in felling small cottonwood trees and erecting them 
into temporary cabins, so that when night came^ on, they had the 
appearance of a village of wigwams, and the night being clear, the 
occupants began to enjoy some degree of comfort.* 

On the night of the thirteenth of November, while large 
bodies of the saints were still encamped on the Missouri bot- 
toms, exiled from their homes for the gospel's sake, one of the 
most wonderful meteoric showers occurred that was ever wit- 
nessed. The whole heavens and the earth were made brilliant 
by the streams of light which marked the course of the falling 
aerolites. The whole upperd eep was one vast display of heaven's 
fireworks. The long trains of light left in the heavens by the 
meteors would' twist into the most fantastic shapes, like writh- 
ing serpents. The grandeur of the display was far beyond the 
power of words to describe. I mention it because of the effect 
it had upon the minds of the suffering saints. The scriptures 
teach that one of the signs of the glorious appearing of Jesus 
Christ shall be the falling of stars from the heaven, as a - 
fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a 
mighty wind; and the shaking of the powers of heaven. f 

It is needless to say that this sign in the heavens encour- 
aged the exiles; that it revived their hopes; that it calmed their 
fears; that it seemed to herald the coming of their Deliverer, 
the Son of God. Nor need I say that it awed the mob, and 
made a pause in their cruel proceedings for a season. That 



* Millennial Star, Vol. 14, p. 582, 

t Mark 13: 25, 26; also Revelation 6: 13-17. 



110 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

pause, however, was brief; for on the twenty-third of November 
the mob held a meeting and appointed a committee to warn 
away any of the saints who might possibly be found within the 
borders of the county. Accordingly what few families were 
scattered here and there through the county were threatened 
and abused until they were finally forced from their homes. On 
the twenty-fourth of December four aged families were assaulted 
at Independence. The mob tore down their chimneys, broke open 
their doors and threw large stones into their houses. 

A brother by the name of Miller, sixty-five years of age, 
and the youngest of the men in the four families, narrowly es- 
caped fatal injuries. A brother Jones, who was also subjected to 
like inhuman treatment, served as a life-guard to General Wash- 
ington in the Revolution, and had fought for the establishment 
of the sacred principles of liberty guaranteed in the Constitu- 
tion of his country, the free exercise of which was now denied 
him by a gang of heartless wretches, who had conspired against 
the liberties of worthy citizens. 

Some time later in the winter, an old man of about seventy 
years of age was driven from his house, after which it was 
thrown down. His household goods, com, etc., were piled to- 
gether and set on fire; but, fortunately, after the mob left, his 
son extinguished the flames. About the same time Lyman 
Leonard had two chairs broken to splinters over his head and 
body, and was dragged out of doors, where he was beaten with 
clubs until he was supposed to be dead. The same day Josiah 
Sumner and Barnet Cole received the same kind of treatment.* 

Early in the spring the mob burned the remainder of the 
houses belonging to the saints. According to the testimony of 
Lyman Wight, two hundred and three dwelling-houses and one 
grist mill were so destroyedf — destroyed in the hope, perhaps, 
of discouraging the return of the exiles. 

* Evening and Morning Star, p. 277. 

t lyyman Wight's affidavit, Times and Seasons, 1843, p. 264. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. Ill 



CHAPTER XIV. 

AFTERMATH OF THE EXPULSION. 

THE saints, exiled from their homes in Jackson County, 
found a temporary resting place in Clay County; though 
some of them were scattered through' Ray, Lafayette, and Van 
Buren Counties. Those, however, who settled in Van Buren 
were again driven away, as related in a former chapter. The 
people in Clay County, as a rule, were kind to the exiles thrown 
so unceremoniously upon their hospitality. They were permitted 
to occupy every vacant cabin, and build others for temporary 
shelter. Some of the sisters obtained positions as domestics in 
the households of well-to-do farmers, while others taught school. 
For their acts of kindness the people of Clay County were well 
repaid in labor performed by the brethren, who were by no 
means idle, nor of the class who would receive a gratuity when 
it was within their power to give its equivalent in honest toil. 
But look at the situation of the saints in the best possible 
light, and after all, it was a gloomy prospect! In their scat- 
tered condition no regular discipline could be enforced. Many 
of them were beyond the reach of their spiritual teachers; and 
being surrounded by wickedness, their hopes blighted, and wit- 
nessing the apparent triumph of the wicked, is it any wonder 
if, in their despair, many of them committed sins, and were 
chargeable with follies unbecoming people of their profession? 
But in the main the saints were immovable as the everlasting 
hills in their righteousness, and in their integrity. They were 
willing to count all things as dross for the excellency of the 
knowledge of God. Their very sufferings only wafted them 



112 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

nearer to him who permitted their enemies to chasten them for 
their good, their very chastisement being a witness that they 
were sons of God — that he loved them.* 

The brethren were perplexed most of all as to what course 
to pursue. Their return to the lands from which they had been 
driven looked at least unlikely. They knew not whether it would 
be best to lease or buy lands in Clay County; whether to prepare 
for permanent or only temporary residence in that land. In the 
midst of this uncertainty, a conference was convened on the 1st 
of January, 1834, at the house of P. P. Pratt, at which it was — 

Resolved, that Lyman Wight and Parley P. Pratt be sent as spe- 
cial messengers to represent the situation of the scattered brethren in 
Missouri, to the Presidency of The Church, in Kirtland, and ask their 
advice. 

Accordingly these brethren started to perform this mission, 
leaving their families in a penniless condition, while they them- 
selves faced the winds and snows of winter in the interests of 
their afflicted co-religionists. 

Pending the saints receiving instructions from their youth- 
ful Prophet, we have many events to relate to our readers. In 
the latter part of December, 1833, a court of inquiry was held 
at Liberty, Clay County, to investigate the conduct of Colonel 
Pitcher, in dispossessing the "Mormons" of their arms, and driv- 
ing them from their homes. The inquiry resulted in his arrest 
and trial before a court-martial; but the court did not convene 
until the 20th of February, 1834; and so remiss in the perform- 
ance of his duty was General Thompson, who presided at the 
court-martial trial, that no report was made to the governor 
until the first of May; and even then it had to be solicited by 
the governor. 

From the facts brought out in that trial, the governor de- 



* Hebrews 12: 6-9. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 113 

cided that Colonel Pitcher had no right to dispossess the "Mor- 
mons" of their arms; and sent an order to S. D. Lucas, colonel 
of the thirty-third regiment, to deliver the arms taken from the 
"Mormons" on the 5th of December, 1833, to W. W. Phelps, 
John Corrill, E. Partridge, A. S. Gilbert, or their order. Lucas, 
in th^ meantime, however, had resigned his position, left Jack- 
son County and settled in Lexington. Learning of this, the gov- 
ernor issued a second order for the arms, directing it this time 
to Colonel Pitcher. This letter was inclosed in a letter from thie 
governor to W. W. Phelps, and sent to Pitcher on the tenth of 
July; but the arms were never returned. Indeed, between the 
issuing of the first and second orders of the governor for their 
restoration to their owners, the arms were distributed among 
the mob; and they insolently boasted that the arms should not 
be returned, notwithstanding the order of the executive. The 
determination of the mob proved to be stronger than the author- 
ity of the governor— the commander-in-chief of the militia of 
the State. 

In the month of December, 1833, the mob permitted the 
firm of Davies & Kelly to take the printing press owned by The 
Church over to Liberty, in Clay County, where the said firm be-- 
gan the publication of The Missouri Enquirer; and in payment, 
for the press turned over to the lawyers employed by the saints 
three hundred dollars on the one thousand dollar note the breth- 
ren had given their attorneys. Not much to pay for a press 
that, with the book-works, had cost, eighteen months before, 
between three and four thousand dollars. 



114 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XV. 

AN "attempted VINDICATION" OP LAW. 

IT would appear that as soon as the news of the expulsion of 
the saints reached the ears of the State officers, they were 
anxious to reinstate them in their possessions. R. W. Wells, 
the attorney-general of Missouri, wrote the lawyers employed 
by The Church to the effect that if the "Mormons'' desired to 
be returned to their homes in Jackson County, an adequate 
force of the State militia would be sent forthwith to accomplish 
this object, the militia having been ordered to hold themselves 
in readiness for that purpose. He also promised that if the 
"Mormons" would organize themselves into'a company of militia, 
they should be supplied with arms by the State. He also sug- 
gested that, "as only a certain quantity of public arms can be 
distributed in each county, those who first apply will be most 
likely to receive them." This letter was written after a con- 
versation between the governor and the attorney-general; and 
by that conversation, the attorney-general believed that he was 
warranted in making these suggestions to the "Mormons," and 
one would be justified in regarding the foregoing as the senti- 
ments of the governor, as well as the attorney-general. 

John F. Ryland, the circuit judge for the district of which 
Jackson County was a part, wrote to Amos Reese, circuit 
attorney for the same district, and also counsel for The Church, 
saying that he had been requested by the governor to inform 
him "about the outrageous acts of unparalleled violence that had 
lately happened in Jackson County ;"and had been requested by him 
to examine into these outrages, and to "take steps to punish the 



THE MISSOURI PEKSECUTIONS. 



115 



guilty and screen the innocent " He, however, (that is, Judge 
Ryland) could not proceed without some person was willing to 
give the proper information before him. He asked the circuit 
attorney to find out from the **Mormons" if they were willing 
to take legal steps against the citizens of Jackson County; and 
if they desired to be reinstated in their possessions. If so, he 
was ^^illing to adopt measures looking toward the accomplish- 
ment of this object, saying that the military force would repair 
to Jackson County, and execute any order he might make re- 
specting the subject. "It is a disgrace to the State/' said he, 
**for such acts to happen within its limits, and the disgrace will 
attach to our official characters, if we neglect to take proper 
means to ensure the punishment due such offenders." 

The order for an immediate court of inquiry had been pre- 
pared by the governor, but he w^aited to hear from the saints, 
as to whether or not they desired to be reinstated in their homes. 
The leading elders of The Chnrch, learning through their attor- 
neys of the steps taken to hold an immediate court of inquiry, at 
once wrote the governor, asking him not to hold an immetliate 
court of inquiry, as at that time many of those persons whom 
: they would want as witnesses were scattered through several 
of the surrounding counties, and could not be notified in time to 
be in attendance. Besides this they urged that many of their 
principal witnesses would be women and children, and so long as 
the rage of the mob continued unabated, it would be unsafe to 
take these witnesses to Independence. **An immediate court 
of inquiry," wrote A. S. Gilbert, "called while our people are 
thus situated, would give our enemies a decided advantage in 
point of testimony." He asked his excellency therefore, in be- 
half of The Church, to postpone the court of inquiry until the 
saints were restored to their homes, and had an equal chance 
with their enemies in producing testimony before the court. 
Amos Reese, the circuit attorney, and one of the counsel 
for The Church, concurred in these very reasonable requests; 



116 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS* 



. and said further; *'I think that at the next regular term of 
the court, an examination of the criminal matter cannot be gone 
into v^ithout a guard for the court and witnesses." 

The communication wMch made these suggestions was fol- 
lowed up on the 6th of December by a petition to the gover- 
nor, which set forth the outrages committed against the saints 
by the Jackson County mob, as already related in these pages; 
and asked him to restore them to their possessions in that 
county; and protect them when restored hy the militia of the State, 
if legal, or by a detachment of the United States troops. The pe- 
tition suggested that doubtless the latter arrangement could be 
effected by the governor conferring with the President of the 
United States on the subject. They also asked that their men 
be organized into companies of ''Jackson Guards/'and furnished 
with arms by the State, that they might assist in maintaining 
their rights. **And then/* said they, *'when arrangements are 
made to protect us in our persons and property (which cannot 
be done without an armed force, nor would it be prudent to risk 
our lives there without guards till we receive strength from 
our friends to protect ourselves), we wish a court of inquiry in- 
stituted, to investigate the whole matter of the mob against 
the 'Mormons.* ** 

To this petition the governor replied on the 4th of Feb- 
ruary, 1834; and said the request to be restored to their homes 
and lands needed no e%ndence to support the right to have it 
granted. In relation to the brethren organizing into military 
companies, the governor said: * 'Should your mefi organize ac- 
cording to law — which they have a right to do, indeed it is 
their duty to do so, unless exempted by religious scniples—and 
apply for public arms, the executive could not distinguish be- 
tween their right to have them, and the right of every other 
description of people similarly situated." 

All these answers of the governor to the petition of the 
exiled saints, so far, were good, and manifested a spirit to ad- 



THE MISSOUI^I PERSECUTIONS. 



117 



minister even-handed justice. But when he comes to consider 
their request to he protected in their possessions, as well as re- 
instated in them, his reply was not so favorahle. "As to the re- 
quest," said he, "for keepiitg up a militaiy force to protect your 
people, and prevent the commission of crimes and injuries, were 
I to comply it would transcend the power with which the exec- 
utive of this State is clothed." Still, the laws of the State em- 
power the "commander-in-chiefj in case of actual or threat- 
ened invaaion,insurrection,o]; war,or puhlic danger,or other enter- 
genq/, to call forth into actual service such portion of the mil- 
itia as he may deem expedient." 

In my judgment, it does seem that under the powers here 
conferred upon the executive by this provision of the funda- 
mental law of the State— the constitution — the governor could 
have granted the request of the saints to be protected in their 
homes, until peace was restored. Surely the clause, "or other 
emergency" in the section of the law just quoted, was broad 
enough to justify Mm in protecting, by the State militia, twelve 
hundred citizens of the United States in their homes until mob 
violence had subsided — until respect for the civil law had been 
restored, and these citizens allowed to dwell in safely upon the 
lands they had purchased from the general government. Under 
this provision he could have "curbed those cruel devils of their 
will," without "doing even a little wrong, in order to do a great 
right" — without "wresting the law to his authority." But he 
chose to interpret the law otherwise — as follows: 

The words, **or other emergency/^ in our militia law, seem quite 
broad; but the emergency to come within the object of that pro vision, 
shall be of a public nature. Your case is certainly a very emergent 
one, and the consequences as important to your socidy as if the war 
had been waged against the whole State, yet the pMic has no other 
interest in it than that the laws be faithfully executed. 

The sequel will show howfaithfully the laws were executed. 



118 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

and how the "public" stood by, indifferent spectators, while an 
unoffending people were robbed of their possessions, and the laws 
of the State set at defiance by insolent mobs. The governor 
closed'his answer to the petition of the exiles by saying that as 
then advised it would be necessary to have a military guard for 
the court and State witnesses^ while sitting in Jackson County; 
and he sent an order to the captain of the Liberty Blues to com- 
ply with the requisition of the circuit attorney, in protecting the 
court and executing its orders during the progress of the trials 
arising out of the Jackson County difficulties; and said the "Mor- 
mons" could if they felt so disposed, return under the protec- 
tion of this guard to their homes, and be protected in them dur- 
ing the progress of the trials. 

It required no great wisdom, however, to foresee that for 
the saints to return to their homes, and then be left there with- 
out protection — left to the mercy of inhuman wretches, in whose 
veins ran none of the milk of human kindness — would not be far 
removed from suicide, as the mob greatly outnumbered the 
saints. To return under these circumstances would only be lay- 
ing the foundation for a greater tragedy than the one already 
enacted; and the brethren wisely concluded not to attempt to 
regain possession of their homes, until some measure was adopted 
to protect them when there — until "God or the President ruled 
out the mob." 

At the February term of the circuit court, which convened 
at Independence, about twelve of the leading elders were sub- 
poenaed as witnesses on the part of the State, against certain 
citizens of Jackson County for their acts of mob violence against 
the "Mormons." On the twenty-third of the month these wit- 
nesses crossed the Missouri into Jackson County, under the pro- 
tection of the Liberty Blues, Captain Atchison commanding. Thi 
company numbered about fifty, and were all well armed with 
United States muskets, bayonets fixed — presenting an outwar<1 
appearance "fair and warlike." The company and witnesse 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 119 

commenced crossing the river about noon, but it was nearly night 
before the baggage wagon was taken across. While waiting 
for the arrival of the wagon, it was decided to camp in the woods, 
and not go to Independence until the next morning. Half the 
company and a number of the witnesses went about half a mile 
towards Independence and built fires for the night. While en- 
gaged in these duties the quartermaster and others, who had 
gone ahead to prepare quarters in town for the company, sent 
an express back, which was continued by Captain Atchison to 
Colonel Allen, for the two hundred drafted militia under his 
command: and also sent to Liberty for more ammunition. Th<j 
night was passed around the camp fires, as the party was withJ 
out tents, and the weather cold enough to snow a little. 

Next morning the witnesses were marched to Independence 
under a strong guard and quartered in the block-house — formerly 
the Flourney Hotel. The attorney-general of the State, Mr. 
Wells, had been sent down by the governor to assist the circuit 
attorney, Mr. Reese, "to investigate as far as possible, the Jack- 
son outrage." These gentlemen waited upon the witnesses in 
their quarters, and gave them to understand that all hope of 
criminal procedure against the mob was at an end. Only a few 
minutes afterward. Captain Atchison informed the witnesses that 
he had received an order from Judge Ryland that the services of 
his company were no longer needed in Jackson County. So the 
witnesses for the State were marched out of town to the tune of 
Yankee Doodle— quick time. 

Thus ended the sickly attempt of the State authorities to 
"execute the law" — in which execution the *public,* according 
to the governor, was interested, but no further interested in this 
outrage. But, "so far as a faithful execution of the laws is 
concerned," he presumed, "the whole community felt a deep in- 
terest; for that which is the case of the 'Mormons' today, may 
be the case of the Catholics tomorrow, and after them, any 
other sect that may become obnoxious to a majority of the people 



? 



120 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



of any section of the State/** After this effort by the State 
autfiorities to execute the law, doubtless all other sects or par- 
ties who were likely to come under the ban of popular senti- 
ment felt secure in their liberties^satisfied with the valor of 
the officers of the State who had trembled before the bold front 
of a mob— a mob which had boasted that if the **Mormons" 
were reinstated in their homes by the authority of the governor, 
not three months should elapse before they would drive them 
again! And even while the circuit court was eoEvened at Inde- 
pendence, and a company of militia was in attendance to execute 
itsmandateSj and the attorney-genera! of the State present to as- 
sist the circuit attorney prosecute those who had violated the 
law — yet, in the presence of all this authority, the old citizens 
of Jackson gathered, and assumed such a boisterous and mobo- 
cratic appearance that their bold front overawed the officers of 
the court; the attorneys of the State telling the State witnesses 
— who were also sufferers from the previous violence of the 
mob — that all hopes of criminal prosecutions against the mob 
were at an end; while Judge Ryland issued an order for the 
militia to withdraw, just when they were needed to protect Ms 
court in vindicating the law! 

Thus ended the only effort that was ever made by the officers 
of Missouri to bring to justice these violators of the law. One 
' class of citizens had conspired against the liberties of another 
class, and being the stronger had, without the authority of law, 
or shadow of justification, driven twelve hundred of them from 
their possessions, and there was not virtue enough in the execu- 
tive of the State and his associates to punish the offenders. The 
determination of the mob to resist the law was stronger than 
the determination of the State officers to execute it and make 
it honorable. And yet the constitution of the State made it the 



* Governor Duiiklin*s communication, Millennial Star, Vol, 14, 
p. 702. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 121 

imperative duty of the executive to "take care that the laws are 
faithfully executed." And the laws of the State empowered the 
commander-in-ishief of the militia (the governor) "in case of , * 
* * insurrection, or war, or public danger, or other emer- 
gency, to call forth into actual service such portion of the 
militia as he might deem expedient." With this power placed 
in his hands by the laws of the State, Governor Dunklin permitted 
mobs to overawe the court of inquiry he himself had ordered, 
and allowed them to continue unchecked in their unhallowed 
deeds of devastation and violence. And while the mobocrats 
triumphed over the law, the governor's letters to the leading 
elders of The Church contained many pretty patriotic sentiments, ^ 
but he lacked the courage to execute the law. 



122 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE CAUSE OP EXPULSION— FUTURE REDEMPTION. 

IT must not be supposed that the Prophet Joseph was an un- 
interested spectator of the stirring events that were being 
enacted. The circumstances of The Church were such that his 
presence was necessary in Kirtland, but all the sympathy of his 
nature went out to his brethren in affliction; and his letters were 
filled with words of encouragement and wise counsels: and> 
so far as his embarrassing financial circumstances would permit, 
he rendered them material aid. There were two things, how- 
ever, that he could not understand; "and," said he, "they are 
these: Why God has suffered so great a calamity to come upon 
Zion, and what the great moving cause of this persecution is. 
And again, by what means he will return her back to her inherit- 
ance, with everlasting joy upon her head." 

He was not left long in doubt as to these matters. The 
words we have quoted above are taken from a letter written by 
Joseph on the tenth of December, 1833; and six days later the 
Lord in a revelation to him said: 

Verily I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been 
afflicted, and persecuted and cast out from the land of their inherit- 
ance, I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, 
wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgres- 
sions. ♦ ♦ • Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, 
and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous 
desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their 
inheritances. They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



123 



tbeir God, therefore the Lord their God is alow to hearken unto their 
prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble »* 

This explained to the uttermost why the saints were driven 
away from Zion. Of the evils which were in their midst they 
had been made aware by the reproofs of their brethren; they 
had been warned time and again by the Prophet and the high 
council at Kirtland of impending judgments. But all these warn- 
ings had only aroused them to a partial repentance; and the 
Lord, true to his word at the time of 8:iving the warning, was 
now pleading with the strong ones in Zion, and chastening her 
mighty ones, that they might overcome,t 

Seeing, then, that the saints were punished for neglecting 
to observe the counsels of God, the question may arise, are the 
mob to be held responsible for their acts of violence against 
thera? Most assuredly, for it is a case where '^offenses must 
needs come, but woe unto them by whom they come." 

In relation to the other matter about which Joseph was per- 
plexed, namely, by what means the Lord would redeem Zion, this 
same revelation, and one given subsequently — on the twenty- 
fourth of February, 1834 — ^explained. From these two revela- 
tions we learn that Zion is to be redeemed by power. *'I will 
raise up unto my people/* said the Lord, "a man wlio shall lead 
them like as Moses led the children of Israel, for ye are the 
children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must 
needs be led out of bondage, with powder, and with a stretched out 
arm: and as your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the re* 
demption of Zion be. Therefore, let not yonr hearts faint, for I 
say not unto you as I said unto your fathers, mine angel shall 
go up before you, but not my presence ; but I say unto yon, mine 
angels shall go before you, and also my presence, and in time ye 
shall possess the goodly land*" J But this great blessing, they 

* Doc. & Cov. Sec. loir 1-7. 
t Doc. & Cov- Sec, 90: 34-37. 
t Doc. & Cov, Sec. 103. 



124 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

were given to understand, was not to be granted *'until after 
much tribulation." * 

Joseph Smith was commanded to gather up the strength of 
the Lord's house, the young men, and the middle-aged; and they 
were to gather to Zion to possess the land that the Lord had 
appointed unto the saints, much of which they had purchased 
and consecrated unto him. The work of gathering was to go on. 
The churches of the east were to send up money in the hands of 
wise men to purchase inheritances; and inasmuch as their ene- 
mies came upon them to drive them from their homes, they were 
to defend themselves, and avenge themselves of their enemies. 
They were to make every effort to obtain five hundred men to 
go up and redeem Zion; but if they failed to get five hundred, 
then they were to get three hundred; and if they failed to get 
three hundred, they were to get one hundred; but they were not 
to go if unable to obtain one hundred. The Lord told the saints, 
even previous to this, that "there is even now already in store a 
sufficient, yea,even an abundance, to redeem Zion, and establish her 
waste places,no more to be thrown down, were the churches, who 
call themselves after my name, willing to hearken to my voice." f 



*Doc. & Gov. Sec. 103: 12, and Sec. 58: 2-4. 
fDoc. & Gov. Sec. lai: 75. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



125 



CHAPTER XVII. 



IMFOETUNING AT THE FEET OP THE JUDGE— THE GOVERNOR— THE 
PRESIDENT, 

PENDING the gathering of the strength of the Lord's house 
to go up to redeem Zion, the saints who had been driven 
from their homes were instructed to importune at the feet of 
the judge; and if he heed them not, then to importune at the 
feet of the governor; and if the governor heeded them not, 
then to importune at the feet of the president; and if the presi- 
dent heeded them not, "then will the Lord rise and come forth 
out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation, and in his 
hot displeasure, and his fierce anger, in his time, wnll cut off 
these wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stew^ards." 

The brethren now began the work of petitioning in ear- 
nest. The authorities and brethren in Kirtland petitioned the 
governor of Missouri in behalf of their afflicted brethren of that 
State, inclosing in their petition the revelation the Lord had 
given respecting the redemption of Zion.* They also sent a 
similar petition, and the same revelation, to the President of the 
United States, "And now,*' wrote Joseph to the brethren in 
Missouri, "we will act the part of the poor widowf to perfection, 
if possible, and let our rulers read their destiny if they do not 
lend a helping hand.*^ 

The saints in Missouri were by 'no means idle. They con- 
tinued to keep the subject of their wrongs constantly before the 



*Doc. & Cov* Sec, loi. 
I^uke i8; i-6. 



126 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



authorities of the Stat€. They also prepared a petition to the 
President of the nation, setting forth their wrongs at great 
length, enclosing in it the reply of the governor to their peti- 
tion to him. And since the governor claimed that the laws of 
his State did not anthorize him to keep a military force in Jack- 
son County, to protect them in their homes after their reatorar 
tion, they asked the President to restore them to their posses- 
sions, and protect them when so restored, by an armed force, 
until peace was insured- Their petition also referred to the 
section of the Constitution which provides that the United States 
shall protect each state against invasion; '*and on application 
of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature can- 
not be convened) against domestic violence."* At the same 
time the exiles informed Governor Dunklin that they had peti- 
tioned the President for a force to protect them in their homes, 
and asked him to assist them by sending to the chief executive 
of the nation a few lines in support of their claims. Elder 
Phelps wrote Senator Thomas H. Benton, informing him of their 
having sent a petition to the President, and asked him for his 
co-operation in securing their rights. Governor Dunklin an- 
swered that as it was possible that the saints had asked the 
President to do something that he was not empowered to do, he 
coTild not consistently join with them in urging him to do it. "If 
you will send me a copy of your petition to the President^ I will 
judge of Ms right to grant it; and if of opinion he possesses the 
power, I will write in favor of its exercise." But whether the 
saints complied with this request or not, I cannot learn. 

On the second of May, 1834, they received a communica- 
tion from Washington, which, as might have been anticipated, 
stated that the oifenses of which they complained were viola* 
tions against the laws of the State of Missouri, and not the laws 
of the United States, and the clause in the Constitution to 



* Const. Art. iv» Sec. 4. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



127 



which they had alluded, extended only to proceedings tinder the 
laws of the United States. **Where an insurrection in any State 
exists, against the government thereof/'said the communication 
from Washington, '*the President is required, on the application 
of such State, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot 
be convened), to call forth such a number of the militia, as he 
may judge sufficient to suppress such insurrection. But this 
state of things does not exist in Missouri, or if it does, the fact 
is not shown in the mode pointed out by law. The President can- 
not call out a military force to aid in the execution of the State 
laws, until the proper requisition is made upon him by the con- 
stituted authorities," And as the "constituted authorities" 
would not make that requisition, all hopes of assistance from 
the general government, of course, were at an end. 

When the State legislature convened, the governor called 
the attention of the body legislative to the outrages committed 
by the citizens of Jackson County against the*'Mormons, "saying: 
'As yet, none have been punished for these outrages, and I be- 
lieve that, under our present laws, conviction for any violence 
committed against a 'Mormon' cannot be had in Jackson 
County. * * * It is for you to determine what 
amendment the laws may require, so as to guard against such 
acts of violence for the future." This notice of the question 
in the governor's message revived the sinking hopes of the 
exiles, but it was only again to have them disappointed. The 
portion of the governor's message which referred to the Jack- 
son outrage was given to a special committee, and at the sug- 
gestion of Messrs. Thompson and Atchison, of the Missouri leg- 
islature, the saints petitioned that body for an enactment to re- 
instate them in their homes and protect them, when thus rein- 
stated, but it availed nothing. The legislature took no action 
in the matter. The violators of the law went unwhipped of 
justice. Suffering innocence found no protector in the State, 



128 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XVni. 



"W 



ZION'S CAMP. 

^HEN the Lord commands, do it." This is what the 
Prophet Joseph declared to be his mle. Therefore, 
when the Lord, on the twenty-fourth of February, 1834 com- 
manded Mm to gather topjether the 8treng;th of the Lord's 
house — the young and middle-aged men in The Church — for the 
purpose of going to Missouri, to redeem Zion, two days later he 
was seen leaving his home for the State of New York, to fulfill 
this commandment. 

He was accompanied by Parley P, Pratt on this mission. 
Other leading Elders went in various directions on the same 
errand. They traveled among the branches of The Church in 
the east pleading the cause of Zion, asking the saints to assist 
in her redemption by contributing of their substance to relieve 
the distresses of their brethren who had been driven from their 
homes in Missouri, who now were exiles and largely dependent upon 
the kindness of strangers for means of living. They called upon 
the saints to send money to Missouri with which to purchase in- 
heritances for themselves; they also asked the young and the 
middle-aged men to volunteer to go to Zion for the purpose of 
assisting their brethren to maintain their possessions in Jackson 
County, when the State authorities should reinstate them in their 
homes. We have none of the speeches of these elders in print, 
we cannot tell how well they told the story of Zion's wrongs; but 
surely the plain, unvarnished statement of her woes would be 
sufficient to move adamantine hearts to pity; while those who 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



129 



held the sufferers as brethren in a common cause would weep 
over their affliction, and with resolution stronger than the love 
of Hie, pledge their fortunes, and themselves to bring about their 
restoration to their homes and secure to thera the enjoyment of 
life, hberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It will become nec- 
essary, however, in another place, for us to tell how UESjonpar 
thetic, and what a lack of faith there was among the eastern 
branches of The Church; and how these things justly brought 
upon the saints in the east the displeasure of God, and prevented, 
at that time, the redemption of Zion, 

The village of New Portage, about fifty miles from Kir tl and, 
Ohio, was made the place of rendezvous for the young and mid- 
dle-aged brethren, who, in response to the call of the Lord and 
Ms Prophet, had volunteered to go to the assistance of their 
brethren in Missouri; and here, about the first of May, the vol- 
unteers began to assemble. On the si:jcth they were joined by 
their youthful prop bet- leader, who, the next day, organized them 
sa follows: F. G. Williams was appointed treasurer and pay- 
master of the camp. All the money was collected and given 
into his keeping. Zerubbabel Snow was appointed commissary 
general. There were also other general officers that were ap- 
pointed, but what they were we have been unable to learn. The 
€amp w^as divided into small companies, twelve men in each. 
These companies elected their own captains, who then assigned 
each man his duty in the respective companies, thus: two cooks; 
two firemen; two tent makers; two watermen; one runner, or 
messenger; two wagoners and horsemen; and one commissary. 

In all, the company that collected at New Portage num- 
bered one hundred and fifty, which was increased by the time 
the camp reached Missouri to about two hundred. 

They purchased flour and baked their own bread, and cooked 
their own provisions, which, at times, were scarce. Their bag- 
gage wagons, about twenty in number, were so loaded with their 
provisions, arms, ammunition and clothing for their distressed 



130 



THE MISSOUEI PERSECUTIONS. 



brethren in Missouri, that nearly the whole company had to walk. 
Every night before retiring to sleep, the blast of the evening 
trumpet called them to prayers in their respective tents; and 
the morning trumpet summoned them to implore the assistance 
of Divine Providence in the day's march. Thus they made the 
journey, pitching their tents by the way-aide, alike in the settled 
country and in the wilderness; stopping occasionally for a few 
days, to refresh their overw^orked teams; and always remaining 
in camp on the Sabbath day to hold divine service, and partake 
of the sacrament. On the occasion of their holding public wor- 
ship,the people in the vicmity of their encampment would often at- 
tend and wonder much at the doctrines they heard, being puzzled 
to know what sect of men they were» 

Such a company of men traveling in this manner through 
the country did not fail to excite the curiosity of the people; 
and every effort was made to learn the names of the leaders, the 
biisiness,object, and destination of the expedition ;,but in this they 
failed, as it was Joseph's instructions to the members of the 
company not to make these things known. There were several 
boys in the expedition, and at times these were questioned by 
strangers, but ^vith very unsatisfactory results. Among the 
number of boys so questioned w^as Geo. A. Smith, afterw^arda 
one of the counselors to President Brigham Young, in the Presi- 
dency of The Church. The questions and answers were about as 
follows: 

*'My boy, where are you from!" 

''From the east." 

** Where are you going?" 

"To the west." 

"What forr 

"To see where we can get land cheapest and best." 

"Who leads the camp?" 

"Sometimes one, sometimes another." 

"What name?" 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



131 



"Captain Wallace, Major Bnice, Orson Hyde, James 
Allred, etc."* 

The people not nnfrequentlj, however, suspected they were 
"Mormons,'" and many times the little band was threatened with 
destruction, and spies continually harrassed them by trying to 
get into their camp. They were foiled in these efforts though, 
by the vigilance of the guards, who nightly patrolled their en- 
campment. At various points through Indiana and Illinois, they 
were told their passage would be resisted, but these threats 
nothing daunted them. The opposition was overawed more than 
once by the numbers in the camp being multiplied in the eyes of 
their enemies. The brethren of Zion*s Camp knew the object of 
the expedition to be a noble one. They were conscious of God's 
approval, and of the presence in their midst of his angels; and 
strengthened by tliis knowiedge, they fearlessly marched on to 
accomplish the work of redeeming Zion. 

Joseph says: *'We know^ that the angels were our com- 
panions, for we saw them." A circumstance in the experience 
of Parley P. Pratt f umishes further testimony of the presence of 
angels with this expedition. Elder Pratt was chiefly engaged as 
a recruiting officer, and on one occasion, when he had traveled 
all night to overtake a small company he was conducting to the 
main camp, he stopped at noon on a broad level plain to let his 
horse feed. No habitation was near. Stillness and repose 
reigned around him, '*! sank dow^n," he says, "o%^erpow^ered with 
a deep sleep, and might have lain in a state of oblivion till the 
shades of night had gathered about me, so completely was I 
exhausted for the want of sleep and rest; but I had only slept a 
few moments till the horse had grazed sufficiently, when a voice, 
more loud and shrill than I had ever before heard, fell upon my 
ear, and thrilled through every part of my system; it said: 



* Celebration Pioneers' Day, p. i8. 



132 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



'Parley, it is time to he up and on your journey J In the twinkling 
of an eye I was perfectly aroused, I sprang to my feet so sud- 
denly that I could not at first recollect where I was, or w^hat 
was before me to perform. I afterwards related the circum- 
stance to Brother Joseph Smith, and he bore testimony that it 
was the angel of the Lord who went beforethecarap, who found 
me overpowered with sleep, and thus awoke me." * 

The line of march led the camp through Indiana and the 
central part of Illinois. The journey w^as undertaken, too, at a 
time of year — May and June — w^hen nature appears in her most 
lovely attire — when the forests were in full leaf, and filled with 
the resonance of birds, the hum of bees and insects; when the 
^eat prairies, which quite bewilder one with their vastoess, are 
clothed in their variegated garments of grass and wild flowers; 
at a time of year when in the upper deep there is a deeper blue, 
when the rising sun seems to shed a brighter light upon the 
earth beneath, and when his parting rays paint the evening skies 
in splendors unsurpassed.f 



* Autobiograplij of Farley P. Pratt, p. 123. 

t Pen-Picturb of the Camp. — In fancy I see them after a hard 
day's tsarch making their eiicampmeat. The sun has just sunk behind 
the western horizon as Joseph and the standard bearer are choos- 
ing the place for their night's encampment They have paused on the 
summit of one of the gentle swells of prairie so common in their line 
of travel. A short distance to the south is a small wooded stream^ To 
the north and east, as far as the eye can see^ is nothing but the broad, 
rolling prairie; looking west, the horizon is bounded by a view of the 
heavy forests which marked the meandering course of the Illinois, 

"Brother Joseph, would it not be better to make our camp further 
to the south, down on the banks of the stream where wood and water 
win be more convenient?** said he who bore the standard. '*I think 
not/' replies the Prophet. "You know we received word that the 
people intend to prevent us crossing the Illinois River, which we will 
reach by ten o'clock tomorrow; so that we are in the vicinity of our 
enemies » If we camp in the woods, they could surround us, and we 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



133 



not be aware of it. But by making this emiEetice our camp ground 
the J can*t approach without beiog observed by out guards; a ad tlie 
brethren will be willing to carry both wood and water this short dis- 
tance in order to eujoy the security of this position.*' 

And uow the main company has come in full view over a hill to the 
east, and as they see the ensign planted they know the camp ground 
has been chosen. Anxious to obtain food and rest» they urge their 
jaded teams to make better speed, and soon the twenty wagons are 
arranged in two curving lines, to make an oval enclosure with open- 
ings at Fach end. Now is enacted a busy scene. Men are hurrying 
to and fro in all directions; but there is no confusion. Each knows 
what is required of him ^ and cheerfully performs his allotted part, The 
teamsters have unhitched and stripped the harness from their sweating 
horses that now quietly crop the rich grass; the firemen and watermen 
have brought both fuel and water, and already the sombre twilight is 
made cheerful by the light of the camp fire, around which the cooks are 
busy preparing the evening meal* The tent makers are stretching the 
tents within the space enclosed by the wagons. Orders are given in a 
cheerful, half-jesting manner. All is peace^all is union. Now you 
see the men quickly gathering around their respective fires, as their 
Bcveral cooks announce supper ready. As they quietly seat themselves 
around their food, heads are bared, and thanks retnrned to Him, who 
had commanded them in everything to give thanks. Pleasant con- 
versation prevails in nearly every group. The trials of the day are 
turned into merriment— anecdotes and jests provoke peals of laughter, 
and the toils of the day are forgotten. Supper is over. Around a fire 
near the center of the encampment have gathered a number of breth- 
ren, and their prophet-leader is relating to them some of the visions 
of his early youth, interspersing his narrative with maxims ot incalcul- 
able value to the hearers. As he warms under the glow of the Spirit 
of God, he tells them of the future glory of Zion — of the temple to be 
overshadowed by a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night — of her be- 
ing a place of refuge — a city of peace in which the saints of God shall 
safely dwell, and how the wicked shall say, ''let ns not go up to battle 
against Zion, for her inhabitants are terrible." Butlistenl Inanother 
part of the camp a number of the brethren are singing; and as the mel- 
ody floats out on the calm stillness ot the night, you recognize one of 
the familiar songs of Zion : — 

GloHoua tblnirs of tbee are ip<ikeii, 
Zion, dty of oar God! 



134 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

He, whose word can not be broken, 
Chose thee for his own abode. 

On the Rock of ages founded, 

What can shake thy sure reposel 
With salvation's walls surrounded, 

Thou may'st smile on all thy foes. 

The song was scarcely concluded when the sharp, thrilling notes 
of the bugle summon to prayer. All promptly retire to their tents 
and are engaged in solemn devotion. Few leave the tents after prayers. 
The guards have been notified to take their places, and their comrades 
stretch out their tired limbs upon their rude pallets. As the bustle in 
the camp ceases, and naught is heard but the whispered conversation 
of the guards, or their footsteps as they move back and forthiipon their 
beats, you hear in the distance the plaintive notes of the whip-poor- 
will. And now the pale moon slowly rises and bathes in her soft 
light the sleeping camp. — Roberts. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



185 



CHAPTER XIX. 



ZELPH. 



AFTER crossing the Illinois River Zion's Camp parsed many of 
" those mysterious earth raonnds so coramon in that section. 
Mysterious mounds! No, not mysterious to them, for they had 
with them the record of the peoples who erected them — the 
Nephites and Lamanites, or, more likely still, the people of 
Jared. 

While encamped on the western bank of the Illinois, Joseph 
and several others ascended one of these high mounds from 
which they could overlook the tops of the trees, and see the 
prairies beyond. On the top of the mound were three stone 
altars, erected one above the other, '^according to the ancient 
order," said Joseph. Human bones were scattered about on the 
surface of the ground; and after removing about a foot of the 
soil at the crown of the mound, they found the skeleton of a 
man nearly complete. Between his ribs was an Indian arrow- 
head which, doubtless, had produced his death. The visions of 
Joseph's mind the day following were opened, and he learned that 
this man whose skeleton they had found was named Zelph. He 
was a white Lamanite; the curse of the black skin had been taken 
from him because of his righteousuess. He was a noted charac- 
ter, a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Omandagus^ 
who was known from the hill Cumorah to the Rocky Mountains* 
He was killed in the last great struggle of the Lamanites and 
Nephites by the arrow-head found between his ribs.* 



*Premdeiit Brigham Young took possession of the arrow-head. 



136 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XX. 



DISSENSIONS IN THE CAMP. 



ON the seventh, of June Zion's Camp reached the Allied set- 
tlement, on Salt River. This AUred settlement consisted^ 
for the most part, of Latter-day Saints, and here Joseph re- 
solved to refresh his men and teams by resting a few days. The 
day following their arrival, they were rejoined by Hyrum Smith 
and Lyman Wight who had parted from the main company in 
Ohio for the purpose of going into Michigan, to raise from among 
the several branches of that State, volunteers to assist in re-^ 
deeming Zion. The addition of these volunteers swelled the 
number in the camp to two hundred and five men, and twenty- 
five baggage wagons, with two or three horses to each. 

During this stay of several days at Salt River, a reorganiza- 
tion of the camp took place. Lyman Wight, who had some knowl- 
edge of military evolutions and tactics, and was, withal, a bold, 
fearless man, was elected general of the camp. Joseph chose a 
company of twenty men to be his life guard, of whom his 
brother Hyrum was made captain. The rest of the men were 
organized into companies as at New Portage. The general of 
the camp drilled these companies in military manoeuvres; in- 
spected their fire-locks, and gave them target practice by pla- 
toons — in short, prepared them for effective service should the 
emergency arise for them to use force to retain their posses- 
sions in Zion. 

I regret to say that the spirit of union and harmony de- 
picted in my pen sketch of the camp, in the foot-note of chapter 
eighteen, was not always characteristic of it. There were times. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS* 



137 



when a spirit of selfishness and an utter lack of brotherly love 
with some was manifested. Particularly was this true of one 
Sylvester Smith, who exhihiied a selfish and at other times a 
quarrelsome spirit. One evening when provisions in camp were 
scarce, Elder P. P. Pratt called upon Sylvester Smith for some- 
thing to eat J and although Smith had food, he refused to divide 
with Brother Pratt, and sent him to someone else. The end of 
it was Brother Pratt had to retire hungry. Joseph being told 
of this, severely reproved the offender; and whether that reproof 
continued to gall the feeHngs of Sylvester Smith or not, I can- 
not say. But at any rate, m soon as the camp arrived at what 
is known as the twenty-two mile Wockendaw Prairie, well on to 
two hundred miles west from the Mississippi, this same man and 
Lyman Wight made an effort to divide the camp. The com- 
pany had first taken up quarters in the woods on the bank of 
the river; but being threatened by their enemies, Joseph decided 
that it would be better to move out into the open prairie. With 
this arrangement some were dissatisfied, as it took them away 
from firewood. Lyman Wight and Sylvester Smith turned aside 
with their companies and went into camp before leaving the 
timber; and as the other companies came along, would hail the 
captains and ask them if they were following General or Wight 
some other man. 

At this some companies hesitated a moment, and then 
drove out to the plain where the ensign had been planted to 
mark the place Joseph had chosen for the encampment. Those 
who had turned aside, and made an effort to divide the camp, 
came up also, and were called upon to give an account of their 
conduct. They acknowledged* their error, and were forgiven. 

Another diflSculty arose among the brethren, about a dog 
which had snapped at Sylvester Smith and others. Consider- 
able anger and ill feeUng existed in camp about it. At last 
Joseph in the presence of a number of the brethren s^d; "I will 



138 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

descend to that spirit which is in the camp, to show you the 
spirit you are of; for I want to drive it from the camp. The 
man that kills that dog, I wiU whip him" Sylvester Smith 
came up just in time to hear the last part of Joseph's remarks, 
and said: "If that dog bites me I shall kill him." 

"If you do I will whip you," replied Joseph. 

"If you do, I shall defend myself the best way that I can.' 
^ To which Joseph rejoined that he would whip him in the name 
of the Lord. "Now," said he, "I have descended to that spirit 
• to show you the spirit which is among you. Brethren, are you 
not ashamed of it? I am." Then he reproved them sharply for 
their murmuring and follies. As they continued in their rebel- 
lious moods and manifested but little of the spirit of repent- 
ance, he predicted that a plague would overtake the camp, and 
they would die like sheep with the rot.* Of the fulfillment of 
this prediction, I shall speak hereafter. 



* Of this prophecy Heber C* Kimball, in his journal under date of 
June 3rd says: "This day June 3rd, while we were refreshing our- 
selves and our teams, about the middle of the day, Brother Joseph got 
up in a wagon and said that he would deliver a prophecy. After 
giving the brethren much good advice, exhorting them to faithfulness 
and humility, he said the I/ord had told him that there would be a 
scourge come upon the camp, in consequence of the fjeictions and 
unruly spirits that appeared among them and they should die like 
sheep with the rot; still if they would repent and humble them- 
selves before the Lord, the scourge in a great measure might be turned 
away; but as the Lord lives, this camp will suffer for giving way to 
their unruly temper." — Times and Season^ Vol, vi. p. 788. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 139 



CHAPTER XXI. 

VIEWS CONCERNING ZION— MOB VS STORM. 

AS Soon as the camp was reorganized at Salt River, Par- 
ley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde were sent as delegates to 
wait upon Governor Dunklin, at Jefferson City, and request him 
to call out a suflScient military force to reinstate the saints in 
the possession of their homes. In the interview the governor 
frankly admitted the justice of the demand, but expressed fears 
that if he should so proceed, it would excite civil war, and del- 
uge the whole country with blood. He advised these delegates 
to counsel their people, for the sake of peace, to sell the lands 
from which they had been driven. To this the delegates refused 
to consent, saying: 

We will hold no terms with land pirates and murderers. If we 
are not permitted to live on the lands we have purchased of the 
United States, and be protected in our rights and persons, they will 
at least make a good burying ground in which to lay our bones; and 
we shall hold on to our possessions in Jackson County, for this pur- 
pose at least. 

The governor could not and did not blame them; but he 
trembled for the country, and dared not carry out what he ad- 
mitted to be the plain, imperative duties of his office. 

Elders Pratt and Hyde rejoined the camp not far from the 
line of Ray County. As soon as they arrived, the Prophet Joseph, 
his brother Hyrum, Lyman Wight, and some others repaired to a 
grove, and heard their report. 



140 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

"After hearing our report," says Parley P. Pratt, "the 
President (Joseph Smith) called on the God of our fathers to 
witness the justice of our cause, and the sincerity of our vows, 
which we engaged to fulfill whether in this life or in the life to 
come. For, as God lives, truth, justice, and innocence shall tri- 
umph; and iniquity shall not reign." 

As the brethren approached Richmond, threats were made 
that they should not pass through the town, and rumor had it 
that a force of men was in waiting to intercept them. Daylight 
of the nineteenth of June saw them, in spite of the threats, 
quietly passing through the streets of the sleeping town. When 
they broke camp in the morning, they designed reaching Clay 
County that day; but they met with so many reverses in the 
day's march, such as wagons breaking down, wheels running off, 
etc., that they failed to accomplish it. Early in the evening 
they went into camp between two forks of Fishing River. 

A plan had been laid for the complete destruction of "Joe 
Smith's army," as Zion's Camp was called by the Missourians; 
and now the time for its execution had arrived. A mob of two 
hundred men had been raised in Jackson County, which was to 
cross the Missouri into Clay County, about the mouth of Fishing 
River, where a man named Williams kept a ferry. This mob 
was to be joined at the fords of Fishing River by a party of 
sixty from Richmond; and still by another mob, seventy in num- 
ber, from Clay County. Indeed, it looked as if Zion's Camp was 
to be annihilated forthwith. 

While the brethren were making preparations for the night, 
five men armed with guns rode into camp, and insolently told 
the brethren they would "catch hell before morning." "And their 
oaths," says Joseph, "partook of all the malice of demons." 

The Jackson mob assembled opposite the mouth of Fishing 
River, and one scow-load — forty in number — was sent over. By 
this time the sun was but little more than an hour high, and the 
camp observed a small cloud coming up from the west. "It 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 141 

wasn't any larger than your hat when I first saw it," said one* 
who was present, and described the occurrence to me; "but in 
about twenty minutes the whole heavens were inky blackness, 
which now and then seemed split by the vivid streams of light- 
ning." All the artillery of heaven seemed to be in action. The 
wind blew and the rain and hail fell in torrents. The hailstones 
— unusually large ones — cut down the com crop and other 
vegetation. Large limbs were wrenched from sturdy oaks and 
twisted into withes by the fierce wind. 

The tents in the camp were blown down, and the most of 
the brethren took refuge in an old church house near their camp 
ground. Big Fishing River, that was not more than six inches 
deep before the storm arose, was about forty feet deep the next 
morning; and the mob swore that Little Fishing River rose thirty 
feet in that many minutes. 

This storm prevented the mob from collecting as arranged. 
The scow that had ferried over part of the Jackson mob, in re- 
turning for more, was met by the storm and only after much 
difficulty about dark reached the Jackson side. Those that had 
been shipped across were exposed to the pitiless pelting of the 
storm all night, which cooled their desire to "kill Joe Smith and 
his army." 

"Instead of continuing a cannonading which they com- 
menced, ♦ ♦ * ti^gy crawled under wagons, into 
hollow trees, and filled one old shanty."t The next morning 
they were as anxious to reach the Jackson side of the Missouri 
as they had been the night before to get at "Joe Smith's" camp. 
The other parts of the mob who were to give the brethren "hell 
before morning" met. with a fate equally unpleasant. Their 



* This was the late Judge Joseph Holbrook of Davis County, who 
personally related the circumstance to me. 

t Joseph's history under date of 19th of June, 1834. 



142 THE MISSOURI PBESECUTIONS. 

horses were frightened, broke away from their masters, and 
wandered over the prairies in some instances several days. 
Their plans for the destruction of Zion's Camp were frustrated, 
and the brethren rejoiced. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



143 



CHAPTER XXII/ 



NEGOTIATIONS, 



'T^HE day following this providential storm the camp moved 
-^ out into the prairie some five miles, where there waa a 
better chance to defend themselves* Here, the next day. 
Colonel Sconce and two other leading men from Ray County 
called upon the camp to learn what the intentions of the bretk- 
ren were. Said the colonel: *1 see there ia an Almighty power 
that protects this people, for I started from Richmond with a 
company of armed men having a full determination to destroy 
yoB, hut was kept back by the storm, and was not able to reach 
you " Having said so much, he was seized with such excitement 
that he trembled from head to foot like an aspen-leaf, and had 
to take a seat in order to compose himself, 

Joseph, in a lengthy speech, related the trials and persecu- 
tions of the saints, particularly the sufferings of those in Jack- 
son County, He related the story of the travels of Zion*s Camp^ 
how they had come one thousand miles to assist their afflicted 
brethren by bringing them clothing, etc., and to aid them in rer 
turning to their homes and maintaining them, and denied the 
infamous reports circulated to arouse the anger of the people 
against the exiled saints. This speech was so simple, so pathetic^ 
and yet so forcible that the strangers were melted by its spirit, 
so that they wept at the story of the persecutions of God^s peo- 
ple. At the close of the speech they arose, and gave their hands 
to the youthful speakerj promising to use all their influence to 
allay the excitement and correct the false impressions that had 



144 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

gone out respecting the object of the expedition — a promise 
they faithfully kept. 

It is said of the Prophet Joseph that if he could but once 
get the attention even of his most bitter enemies his native elo- 
quence, inspired by the truth and the pathos of his people's suf- 
ferings, usually overwhelmed them; and in no instance was his 
triumph more marked than in the one just related. 

The day after the visit of Colonel Sconce, Cornelius Gillium, 
the sheriff of Clay County, came into camp and desired a con- 
sultation. The company was marched into a grove adjacent and 
formed a large circle with Gillium in the center, "I have heard 
that Joseph Smith is in the camp, and if so, I should like to see 
him," commenced Gillium. 

"I am the man," replied Joseph, as he rose to his feet. 
This was the first time Joseph was made known to strangers 
since leaving Kirtland, as he had gone by a fictitious name 
through the whole journey. 

Gillium then proceeded to describe the character and dis- 
position of the Missourians, and the course that ought to be 
pursued to secure their favor and protection; and concluded by 
requesting to know what the intentions of the company were. 
This brought out the statements we now give, which were pub- 
lished in the Missouri Enquirer of the first of July, 1834. 

GILLIUM'S COMMUNICATION. 

Being a citizen of Clay County, and knowing there is considerable 
excitement amongst the people thereof, and also knowing that differ- 
ent reports are arriving almost hourly; and being requested of the 
Hon. J. F. Ryland to meet the "Mormons" under arms, and obtain 
from the leaders thereof the correctness of the various reports in 
circulation, the true intent and meaning of their present movements, 
and their views generally regarding the difficulties existing between 
them and Jackson County, — I did in company with other gentlemen, 
call upon the said leaders of the "Mormons," at their camp in Clay 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



145 



County; and now .give to tbe people of Clay County their written 
Btatement, containing the substance of what passed between ub. 

(Signed) Cornelius Gillium. 

PROPOSITION, ETC., OF THE MORMONS. 

Being called upon by tbe above named gentleman, at our camp 
in Clay County, to ascertain from the leaders of our men, our inten- 
tions, views, and designs, in approaching this county in tbe manner 
we have, we therefore the more cheerfully comply with their request, 
because we are called upon by gentlemen of good feelings, and who 
I are disposed for peace and an amicable adjustment of tbe difficulties 
existing between us and the people of Jackson County. The reports 
of our intentions are various, and have gone abroad in a light calcu- 
lated to arouse the feelings of almost every man. For instance, 
one report is, that we intend to demolish tbe printhig office in 
Liberty; another report is, that we intend crossing tbe Missouri Eiver 
on Sunday next, and falling upon women and children, and slay- 
ing them; another is, that our men were employed to perform this 
expedition, being taken from manufacturing establishments in the 
«ast, that had closed business; also that we carried a flag, bearing 
"peace" on one side, and "war or blood" on the other, and various 
others too numerous to mention, all of which a plain declaration of 
our intentions, from under our own hands, will show are not correct. 

In the first place it is not our intention to commit hostilities 
against any man, or set of men; it is not our intention to injure any 
man*s person or property, except in defending ourselves. Our flag 
bas been exhibited to the above gentlemen^ who will be able to de- 
scribe it. Our men were not taken from any manufacturing estab- 
lishment. It is our intention to go back upon our lands In Jackson 
County by order of the executive of the State, if possible. We have 
brought our arms with us for tbe purpose of self-defense, as it is 
well known to almost every man of the State, that we have every 
reason to put ourselves in an attitude of defense, considering the 
abuse we have suffered in Jackson County. We are anxious for a 
settlement of tbe difficulties existing between ua, upon honorable and 
constitutional principles. 

We are willing for twelve disinterested men, six to be choeen by 



146 



THE MISSOURI PEESECUTIONS. 



each party, and these shall say what the possessions of these men are 
worth who cannot live with us in the connty; and they shall have 
their money in one year; and none of the "Mormons" shall enter that 
county to reside until the money is paid. The damages that we have 
sustained in consequence of being driven away, shall also he left to the 
ahove twelve men, or they may all live in the county, if they choose, 
and we will never molest them if they let us alone, and permit us to 
enjoy our rights. We want to live in peace with all men; and equal 
rights is all we ask. We wish to hecome permanent citizens of this 
State, nn4 wish to bear our proportion in support of the government, 
and to be protected by its laws. If the above propositions are com- 
plied with, we are willing to give security on our part, and we shall 
want the same of the people of Jackson County, for the performance 
of this agreement. We do not wish to settle down in a body, except 
where we can purchase the land with money; for to take possession 
by conquest or the shedding of blood, is entirely foreign to our feel- 
ings. The shedding of blood we shall not be guiity of, until all just 
and honorable means among men prove insufficient to restore peace* 

(Signed) Joseph Smith, Jun,, 
P. G. Williams, 
Lyman Wight, 
Rodger Orton, 
Orson Hyde, 
John S. Carter, 
To John Lincoln, John Sconce, George R. Morehead» Jas. H. Long, 
Jas, Collins. 

After the departure of Gilliuni a revelation w^as given.* 
The Lord in this revelation declared that Zion might have been 
redeemed by that time, had it not been for the transgreaaiona of 
his saints. They had not been obedient to the requirements 
made of them. They had withheld their means, and in their 
hearts had said: ''Where is their God? Behold he will deliver 
them in time of trouble, otherwise we will Bot go up unto Zion, 
and we will keep our monies.'* 



*Doc. & Cov. Sec. 105 » 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 147 

Besides these evidences of a lack of faith, they were want- 
ing in that unity required by the law of the celestial kingdom^ 
and it is only through the observance of that law that Zion can 
be redeemed. The Lord, therefore, commanded the elders to 
wait a season for the redemption of Zion, until the saints shotrid 
obtain more experience, learn obedience, and until means could 
be raised to purchase all the lands in Jackson County that could 
be purchased, and also in the surrounding counties; and until the 
Lord's army had become very great, and sanctified before him* 
And when this was done the Lord promised to hold his people 
guiltless in taking possession of that which was their own; and 
they should possess it forever. He had permitted the elders 
composing the camp to come thus far, for a trial of their faith; 
and now he had prepared a great endowment for them in the 
house which he had commanded to be built in Kirtland. Those 
who could stay in Missouri were to do so, but those who had 
left their families in the east, were at liberty to return. 

The saints who had been driven from their lands in Jackson 
were instructed to carefully gather together in one region 
as much as could be, without exciting the fears of the people. 
They were to be very faithful and humble; boasting neither of 
faith nor judgments. By following this counsel, the Lord prom- 
ised to give them favor in the eyes of the people, that they 
might rest in peace while they were saying to the people: "Ex- 
ecute judgment and justice for us according to the law, and 
redress us of our wrongs." 



148 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE THREATENED JUDGMENT— IF — ! 

^r^HE day following this revelation the camp left Fishing 
A River and approached Liberty, Clay County; but when with- 
in five or six miles of that place they were met by General Atchi- 
son and others who requested them not to go to Liberty, as the 
people were very greatly enraged at them. As this request was 
made by men of influence, and those who desired peace, and who 
felt an interest in the execution of justice, Joseph consented not 
to go to Liberty; and turning aside, camped on Rush Creek, near 
the residence of Sydney Gilbert, and in a Brother Burghart's 
field. 

The day before, three of the brethren had suffered some 
with the cholera; but it was not until the camp came to Rush Creek 
that the disease broke out among them in its fury. The night 
of the twenty-fourth of June will long be remembered by the 
members of Zion's Camp. All night long they heard the moans 
an* piteous cries of the sufferers, and loud lamentations of those . 
who lost their loved ones by the ravages of this dreadful disease. 

When it first made its appearance Elder JohaS. Carter at- 
tempted to rebuke it, but he became its first victim. Joseph 
also undertook to stay its ravages by the laying on of hands. 
He administered to his brother Hyrum. "The moment I attempted 
to rebuke the disease, that moment I was attacked," he writes; 
"and had I not desisted, I must have saved the life of my brother by 
the sacrifice of my own, for when I rebuked the disease, it left 
him and seized upon me. I quickly learned by painful experi- 
ence that when the great Jehovah decrees destruction upon any 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



149 



people, and makes known his determination, man must not at- 
tempt to stay his hand/^ 

The brethren unitedly covenanted and prayed, hoping that 
they might have power with the heavens to stay the ravages of 
the plague; but to no purpose; for while they were engaged in 
prayer Elder Wilcox died. The deaths occurred so rapidly that 
coffins could not be prepared, so the dead were rolled up in 
blankets and put hurriedly into their graves; and while part of 
the brethren were engaged in digging the gi'aves, others had to 
stand guard, musket in hand. After the plague had continued 
for two or three days, an effectual remedy was found for it by 
dipping those afflicted in cold water, or pouring it upon them. 
In all about seventy suffered from the cholera, and out of that 
number thirteen died. 

The camp was dispersed early on the morning of the 25th, 
and Joseph sent by express to Messrs. Thornton, Doniphan, and 
Atchison, the following note: 

Gentlemen: — Our company of men advanced yesterday from their 
encampment beyond Fishing Eiver to Rush Creek, where their tents 
are again pitched. But feeling disposed to adopt every specific meas- 
ure that can be done without jeopardizing our lives, to quiet the 
prejudices and fears of some part of the citizens of this county, we 
have concloded that our company shall be immediately dispersed and 
continue so till every effort for an adjustment of differences between 
ua and the people of Jackson has been made on our part, that would 
in anywise be required of us by disinterested men of republican prin- 
ciples. I am respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Joseph Smith, Jr. 

Thus Zion's Camp was disbanded. Had Governor Dunklin 
possessed the courage to enforce the law of the State; had he 
called out the militia of Missouri to reinstate the exiles in their 
homes, as at one time he expressed a willingness to do, the his- 
tory of the camp might have been different. But Governor 



150 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



Dunklin lacked that courage, and without' that assistance the 
camp itself was powerless. 

Perhaps another view^ is also admissible. Had the mem- 
bers of Zion's Camp been more faithful — less contentious — more 
united; and had the saints in the eastern branches had more faith 
— faith to send up to Zion more men and more money with 
which to strengthen the hands of the saints on the land of 
Zion— the history of Zion*s Camp might have been different. 
But thus it is: what men and great movements might attain to 
is often defeated, sometimes by the actions of enemies, some* 
tim€& by the lack of devotion and faith and energy on the part of 
those into whose hands great enterprises are committed. While 
God's general purposes will never ultimately be defeated by man, 
still upon each side of the general purposes of God a margin some- 
what wide seems to have been left in which those both for and 
against those purposes may write what history they please — one 
that will meet with the approval of God, or one that will meet 
only with condemnation — herein is the agency of man. But in 
the exercise of that agency God's purposes will not be thwarted, 
for man's agency will not extend so far as that — if it did it 
would interfere with God's agency and decrees. 

Joseph Smith and his brethren, on hearing that the gover- 
nor of Missouri was afraid to execute the laws by returning the 
exiled saints to their homes, again covenanted that they would 
never cease their exertions until Zion was redeemed, and truth, 
justice and law should triumph over falsehood, injustice, and 
mobocracy, — a covenant which they called upon the God of their 
fathers to witness, and which they engaged to fulfill either in this 
life or the life to come- 
But standing above all human resolutions, as the heavens 
stand above the earth, is Jehovah's own decree that he will ex- 
ecute justice and judgment, and that he will not give to wicked* 
ness a lasting victory. Zion will be redeemed. God has decreed 
it. ^'Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needi 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 151 

come by power; therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, 
who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel, for 
ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and 
ye must needs be led out of bondage with power, and with a 
stretched out arm: and as your fathers were led at the first, 
even so shall the redemption of Zion be." * 



*Doc. & Gov. Sec. 103: 15-18. 



152 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

ATTEMPT AT ARBITRATION. 

WHETHER it was the fear of popular censure or the ap- 
proach of Zion's Camp that awed the Jackson County 
mob into suggesting a peaceable adjustment of their diflSculties 
with the saints, we cannot say. Perhaps both considerations 
had their weight. At any rate the month of May, 1834, found 
them suggesting to Governor Dunklin, through some influential 
gentlemen of Clay County, the propriety of dividing Jacksoji 
County so that the old gettlers and the saints could occupy sepa- 
rate territory, and confine themselves within their respective 
limits, with the exception of the public right of ingress and 
; egress upon the highway. 

This plan of settling the Jackson County trouble was sug- 
gested by Colonel J. Thornton, and concurred in by Messrs. 
Reese, Atchison and Doniphan. Their communication brought 
out a reply from the governor in whi;;h he expressed his pleasure 
at these gentlemen making an effort to bring about a compro- 
mise of the difficulties. He .told them that had he not been 
afraid of embarrassing himself as an officer of the State he should 
have exerted himself to have brought about a compromise even 
before then; but he was fearful of traveling out of the strict 
line of his duty as the chief executive of the State, should he do 
so. Said he: 

My first advice would be to the "Mormons" to sell out their lands 
in Jackson County, and to settle somewhere else, where they could 
live in peace, provided they could get a fair price for their lands, and 
reasonable damages for injuries received. If this failed, I would try 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



153 



the citizens, and advise them to meet aud rescind their illegal resolves 
of last summer, and agree to conform to the laws in every particular, 
in respect to the "Mormons." 

Should success attend neither of these plans, he would then 
try the plan of dividing the county as suggested hy Colonel 
Thornton* *ll all these failed/' said the governor, *'then the 
simple question of legal right would have to settle it. It is this 
last that I am afraid I shall have to conform my action to in the 
end/* From the whole tenor of this communication, we learn 
that even the governor understood that the "simple question of 
legal righV' would reinstate the saints on the lands from which 
they had heen driven. Here is an extract from the letter which 
confirms this statement: 



A more clear and indisputable right does not exist, than that the 
'Mormon" people who were expelled from their homes in Jackson 
CoTinty, should return and live on their lands; and if they cannot be 
persuaded as a matter of policy to give up that right;, or to qualify it, 
my course as the chief executive officer of the State is a plain one. 
* * * The Constitution of the United States declares: "that 
the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and im- 
munities of citizens in the several States." Then we cannot interdict 
any people who have a political franchise in the United States, from 
emigrating to this State, nor from choosing what part of the State 
they will settle in, provided they do not trespass on the property or 
rights of others. * * ♦ j^^^ again, our Constitution 
says, "that all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship 
Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience." / am 
full}/ persuaded that the eecmtricitg o/thereligiom opinions and practices 
qfth€'*MormonSf'' is at the bottom of the outrages committed against 
them. They have the right constitutionally guaranteed to them^ and 
it is indefeasible, to believe and worship Joe Smith as a man, an angel 
or even as the only true and living God, and to call their habitation 
Zion, the Holy Land, or even Heaven itself. Indeed there is nothing 
so absurd or ridiculous that they have not a right to adopt as their 

TO 



154 



THE MISSOURI PEESECUTIONS, 



religion bo tliat in its exercise they do not interfere with the rights 
of others. 



Surely this is a liberal statement of the rights of the Latter- 
day Saints, and, indeed, of any other people; for the rights, pri%H- 
leges, and immunities of the saints under the government of the 
United States are no more than those belonging to other people — 
certainly they are no less. Still the governor was loath to perform 
what he admits to be his plain duty in restoring the **Mormons" 
to their homes. Indeed, he at length refused to do it; fearing 
that in executing the law, by returning the saints to their homes, 
he would involve the State in a civil war. He came the easier 
to this conclusion, doubtless, because the sufferers were an un- 
popular religious community. But if the execution of law must 
be abandoned because the violators thereof threaten to resist its 
execution, or because a reckless mob led by desperate men threats 
en that if the law is enforced they will plunge the country into 
civil war-— what a burlesque on government it would be to re- 
frain from the execution of law on that account! 

On the tenth of June, 1834, the district judge, John F, 
Ityland, wrote a letter to Elder A. S« Gilbert, asking him to use 
his influence in gathering Ms brethren at Liberty, in Clay County, 
{yfl the sixteenth of the month ; saying that he expected to meet 
a delegation of citizens from Jackson County there, and he was 
desirous of giving his views epon the present situation of the 
parties concerned in the Jackson troubles, with the hope of 
bringing about a peaceable adjustment of them. This letter was 
read in a public meeting of the saints, and a respectful answer 
given, promising that as many of the exiles and their friends as 
conveniently could attend the meeting on the sixteenth would 
be present. Knowing there had been some talk about the pro- 
priety of the saints selling out their lands in Jackson County, 
and fearing the judge would advise them to do so, the brethren 
took occasion to say in this communication to him that no such 



THE MISSOURI PEESECUTIONS. 



155 



proposition could possibly be acceded toby them,aiid concluded by 
saying: ''Home is home, and we want possession of our homes 
from which we have been wickedly expelled — and those rights 
which belong to us as native free bom citizens of the United 
States." 

About one thousand people were in attendance at the meet- 
ing at the courthoitse in Liberty on the sixteenth of June; and 
among them were many of the brethren and a deputation of 
citizens from Jackson County, who made the following propo- 
sition for the settlement of the Jackson difficulties: 

The people of Jackson County will buy all the land the "Mor- 
mons" own in the County of Jackson, and also all the improve- 
ments which the "Mormons*' had on any of the puWic lands as 
they existed before the first disturbance between the people of 
Jackson and the "Mormons," and for such improvements as they 
have made since, The valuation of the land and improvements 
shall be ascertained by three disinterested arbitrators, to be 
chosen and agreed upon by both parties; should the parties dis- 
agree in the choice of arbitrators, then is to choose them. 

Twelve Mormons shall be permitted to go with the arbitra- 
tors to show them their lands and improvements while they are 
being valued; and any other "Mormons" may accompany the ar- 
bitrators whom they may desire in order to give them informa- 
tion; and the people of Jackson guarantee their entire safety 
while doing so. 

When the arbitrators report the value of the land and im- 
provements, the people of Jackson will pay to the **Mormons" 
the valuation, with one hundred per cetd added tkereon, within 
thirty days thereafter; the Mormons are to agree not to make 
any effort ever after to settle, either collectively or individually, 
within the limits of Jackson County; and are to enter into bonds 
to insure the conveyance of their lands in Jackson County, ac- 
cording to these terms, when the payment shall be made, and 
the committee mil enter into a like bond, with such security as 



156 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

shall be sufficient, for the payment of the money according to 
this proposition. While the arbitrators are investigating and 
deciding upon the matters referred to them, the **Mormons" are 
not to attempt to enter into Jackson County, or to settle there, 
except such as are by these propositions permitted to go there. 

Or 

The people of Jackson will sell all their lands and improve- 
ments on public lands in Jackson County to the "Mormons," the 
valuation to be obtained in the same manner, the same per cent 
to be added, and thirty days allowed for payment as in our propo- 
sition to buy: the "Mormons" to give good security for the pay- 
ment of the money, and this delegation will give security that 
the land will be conveyed to the "Mormons." All parties to re- 
main as they are till the payment is made, at which time the 
people of Jackson will give possession.* 

After these propositions were submitted to the meeting, a 
number of speeches were made in which much bitterness was 
manifested against the saints. The Rev. M. Riley, a Baptist 
minister, said: "The 'Mormons' have lived long enough in Clay 
County; and they must either clear out, or be cleared out." 

To which the chairman of the meeting, Mr. Tumham, re- 
plied: "Let us be republicans, let us honor our country, and 
not disgrace it like Jackson County. For God's sake don't dis- 
franchise or drive away the 'Mormons.' They are better citi- 
zens than many of the old inhabitants." 

General Doniphan: — "That's a fact, and as the 'Mormons' 
have armed themselves, if they don't fight they are cowards. I 
love to hear that they have brethren coming to their assistance. 
Greater love can no man show, than be who lays down his life 
for his brother." 

Cries of "adjourn," and "no, no, go on!" were now heard. 



* Abridged from Millennial Star, Volume 15, p. 81. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



157 



mingled with curses loud and deep, and the ominous gleaming of 
knives, and cocking of pistols. To add to the excitement a man 
by the door yelled out — **Aman stabbed!" At this, those in the 
court room rushed out to learn what had happened. It turned 
out that a blacksmith by the name of Calbert had stabbed a man 
by the name of Wales, who had boasted of having whipped many 
of the "Mormons'* — one of whom had nearly lost his life through 
the injuries received. The meeting broke up without further 
bloodshed. 

In the midst of this excitement a few of the brethren re- 
tired and addressed a communication to the Jackson County 
delegation in attendance at the meeting, to the effect that their 
proposition for a settlement of the Jackson difficulties would be 
presented to the saints, and an answer to it would be handed to 
Judge TTirnham by the twentieth, sooner if possible. The breth- 
ren assured the Jackson delegation that peace was what they de- 
sired, and promised to use all their influence to establish it, and 
disclaimed any design to commence hostilities against the in- 
habitants of JacLson County; and further pledged themselves 
to use their influence to prevent the large company of their men 
(Zion's Camp) then en route for Missouri, going into Jackson 
County until the citizens of Jackson should receive an authorita- 
tive answer to their proposition to "buy or sell." 

The Jackson delegation, in a very had humor, started for 
Independence. One of the leaders, James Campbell, as he ad- 
justed his pistols in his holsters, exclaimed: *The eagles and 
buzzards shall eat my flesh, if I don't fix Joe Smith and his army 
[meaning Zion's Camp J so that their skins won't hold shucks be- 
fore two days are passed." 

The Jackson delegation went to Ducker^s ferry and started 
to cross the Missouri^ but when about the middle of the river, 
their boat suddenly went down as if made of lead. There was 
no storm^the river was calm, and no natural explanation could 
be given for the sinking of the boat. Joseph declared that the 



158 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

angel of the Lord sank it.* Indeed the circumstances are such 
as to go very far toward strengthening the statement. It is 
supposed that about twelve men were in the boat, and of this 
number sevenf were drowned. Of the number drowned the 

names of three are all that have been learned — Ike Job, 

Everett and James Campbell. The body of Campbell was found 
by a Mr. Purtle, about three weeks after the occurrence, on a 
pile of drift-wood, some four or five miles below where the boat 
sank. But little more than the skeleton of the man remained. 
His flesh had been eaten by the eagles and buzzards. His fate 
points a fearful warning to those who raise their hands against 
God's anointed. It gives us reason to believe that the day is^not 
distant when the comman<l of Jehovah — ^Touch not mine 
anointed, and do my prophets no harm" — must be obeyed. 

The fate of Owens was more ludicrous — a comedy rather 
than a tragedy. He floated down the stream until he landed on 
an island, where he remained all night. The next morning he 
stripped off his clothes and swam ashore and laid down by the 
side of a log, close to the road. A lady passing on horse-back^ 
learning of his condition, dropped him her shawl to cover his 
nakedness, until he could secure clothing. 



* Millennial Star, Volume 15, p. 83. 

t Joseph states that seven were drowned, (see History of Joseph 
Smith, Millennial Star. Volume 15, p. 83); but the History of Clay 
County, published in St. lA>uis by the National Historical Society^ 
says that only five were drowned. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



159 



CHAPTER XXV, 

THE PROS AND CONS OF ARBITRATION PROPOSITION. 

HAVING related the principal events connected with the 
meeting held at Liberty, we must consider the proposi- 
tions made by the Jackson people to the saints, for the peace- 
ful adjustment of their difficulties. To have the lands owned 
by the saints and the improveraenta thereon valued by disinter- 
ested arbitrators, and the amount paid with cme kundred per 
c£nt added within thirty days, looks like a very fair proposition ; 
but still the saints could not accept such terms; as the condi- 
tion upon which the proposition was made required the sur- 
render of some of their rights as citizens of the United States 
and freemen. 

The Constitution of the United States says expressly: "The 
citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and im- 
munities of citizens in the several States."* The saints were 
citizens of the United States, possessing all the rights and fran- 
chises thereof, and they had a right — an indefeasible one, too 
—to settle in whatever State they saw proper to choose for 
their abode; and they had a right to settle in whatever part of 
the State pleased them best; and, as Governor Dunklin admitted, 
they had a right to call their habitation **Zion, the Holy Land, 
or Heaven itself,*' so long as in doing so, they interfered not 
with the property and rights of others. To accept the propo- 
sition of the Jackson people, therefore, and bind themselves never 
again to make any effort to settle collectively or individually 



* Const. Art, IV, Section 2, 



160 



THE MISSOURI PERSBCimONS. 



within the limits of Jackson County, would be a surrender of 
their dearest rights of citizenship; aed would be permitting 
mobocrats and murderers to dictate them in the exercise of 
their liberties; biading not only themselves, but their children 
as well, to the dictum of these wretches. To accept such a set- 
tlement of their troubles, would have been a covenant with 
death, an agreement with bell! To their honor be it said, they 
spumed the proposition with the contempt it deserved. 

But the surrender of some of their rights as citizens of the 
United States was not the only difficulty involved in the settle- 
ment of the Jackson troubles by the saints selling their posses- 
sions, God had revealed it to them that Jackson County was 
the place where is to be built the Zion of their God. For them 
to sell their lands then, and agree never after to make a settle- 
ment there, collectively or individually, would be a denial of 
their faith and bring upon them the displeasure of their God. 
For them to sell their lands was entirely ont of the question. 

But the mob offered not only to buy, but to sell upon the 
same conditions that they proposed to buy. Why did not the 
saints accept this offer? Simply because they could not, and 
the citizens of Jackson knew very well they could not. The old 
settlers of Jackson owned many times more the amount of land 
than was possessed hj the saints, say thirty acres to one. The 
saints were not wealthy to begin with; and now, after they had 
been driven from their homes, robbed of their goods, their cattle 
driven away, their houses, stables, and stacks of grain burned, 
they are asked to buy nearly the whole of Jackson County, for 
which they must pay double price, because they were to add 
one hundred per cent to the appraised value-^in tkirty days! 
I don't believe the people of Jackson County were sincere in 
making the proposition. They knew the saints could not sell 
their lands without surrendering many of their rights as free 
men and citizens of the United States; and without being untrue 
to their God, by virtually denying their faith in the revelations 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



161 



he had given regarding the building up of Zion in Jackson 
County, This the old settlers knew the Mormons would not do. 
They had tried to whip and frighten too many of them into a 
denial of their religious convictions, to think for one moment 
that money would be any inducement for them to deny that 
faith. On the other hand, they determined to put the price of 
their own land beyond the possibility of the saints purchas- 
ing it. 

The whole scheme was concocted with a view of covering 
up their outrages against the people of God, under an appear- 
ance of faimeaa. 'In the corrupted currents of this world, 
where Offense's gilded hand may shove by justice," where hypoc- 
risy is often mistaken for piety, and cunning for fairness, the 
subterfuge may have served its purpose; but when the wTetches 
who would have murdered the saints and plundered them of 
their goods shall stand before the bar of God where there is "no 
shuffling," but where the actions of men 'lie in their tnie light," 
they will find their refuge of deceit will not shield them from 
the justice of Him who has declared, "vengeance is mine, I will 
repay!" 

The saints refused to accept the terms of settlement made 
by the people of Jackson, but they themselves proposed terms 
of adjustment, as follows: 

Twelve disinterested men were to be chosen, six by the ex- 
iles, six by the people of Jackson County, These twelve men 
were to say what the possessions of those men were worth that 
would not consent to live with the "Mormon" people, and they 
should receive the money for the same in one year from the 
time the treaty was made, none of the saints to enter Jackson 
County to reside until the money was paid. 

This same company of twelve men was to be empowered to 
say what the damage was which the "Mormons" sustained in be- 
ing driven from their homes and in the destruction of their 
property, the said amount allowed for damages to be deducted 



162 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

from the amount paid for the lands of those who would not con- 
sent to live with the saints. 

The only reply received to this proposition was in a letter 
from S. C. Owens to Mr. Amos Reese, which plainly said the 
Jackson people would listen to nothing like the proposition 
made by the "Mormons f' and here the hopes of settling the Jack- 
son County trouble by arbitration ended. 



THE MISSOURI PEHSECUTIONS. 



163 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



AN INTERIM— BLIGHTED HOPES. 



THE work accomplished by the Prophet Joseph was consid- 
erable during his stay in Missouri. On the first of July, 
\\ith a few of the brethren, he crossed the Missouri into Jack- 
son County, **once more," he remarked, *'to set my foot on this 
*goodIy land.' *' What contending emotions would be awakened 
by such a visit! There, just to the west of the courthouse in 
Independence, three years before, he had assembled with his 
brethren, and dedicated a site for the temple of the Lord. Now 
and then they would come to the ruined homes of the brethren; 
now in vision he might, for a moment, see the future glory of 
Zion; then he would weep to thiuk of the saints stripped of all 
their earthly goods, and in the midst of strangers whose bond 
of friendship was not strong. 

On the third of July a High Council was organized by the 
Prophet, in Clay County, of ^vhich David Whitmer was made 
president and W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer, counselors. This 
council proceeded to discuss a variety of subjects pertaining to 
the situation of The Church and its members. They made a di- 
rect appeal to the people of the United States, and to mankind 
everj^here, stating their wrongs and imploring their assistance 
in securing and maintaining their rights. They declared their 
devotion to the laws of their country, and their faith in God, and 
the final establishment of Zion in Jackson County, and expressed 
a desire to be at peace with all mankind.* 



* History of Josepli Smith, Millennial Star, Vol- 15, p, 121. 



164 



THE MISSOURI FERSECDTIONS. 



This High Council investigated some matters arising be- 
tween the members in The Church, and busied itself in setting 
in order The Church in Missouri generally. On the twelfth of 
July the council appointed Edward Partridge, Orson Pratt, Isaac 
Morley and Zebedee Coltrin to visit the afflicted and scattered 
brethren in Missouri, They were not to hold pubhc meetings, 
as that would arouse too much popular prejudice; but they were 
to work quietly, setting the saints in order and teaching them 
the way of holiness, as the Lord by his Spirit might direct. Sub- 
sequently a few elders were sent out to hold public meetings, 
**to teach the disciples how to escape the indignation of their 
enemies, and keep in favor with those who were friendly dia- 
posed.** On the seventh of August the council sent out about 
twenty elders to preach the gospel to the world; and thus in 
these trying circumstances, these faithful men continued to 
preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In the meantime, Joseph and a few of his brethren who 
had accompanied him had arrived in Kirtland, having left the 
brethren in Missouri on the ninth of July. On his return to 
Kirtland, the Prophet was charged with aspiring to be "tyrant, 
pope, king, usurper of men, false prophet, prophesying lies in 
the name of the Lord, taking consecrated moneys," etc., etc, 
'*a catalogue," said Joseph, **as black as the author of it." But 
High Council meetings were called, investigations were inaugu- 
rated; the accusers were brought face to face with the accused; 
the character of God's Prophet was vindicated, his accusers were 
made to hang their heads in shame, and in the most public 
manner made known their errors so that shortly the Prophet 
was, as he himself stated it, "swimming in good, clear water 
with his head out." 

No sooner had these difficulties been settled than the Prophet 
again turned his attention to Zion. On the eleventh of Au- 
gust, 1834, he ^Tote the brethren in Missouri concerning what 
had befallen him in Kirtland, and also requested that another pe- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECimONS. 



165 



tition be written such as the High Council would approve, asking 
the governor of Missouri to call on the President of the United 
States to furnish a guard to protect the saints in their homes 
in Jackson County (when they should be restored) from the in- 
sults and violence of the mob. Copies of this petition were to 
be placed in the hands of the elders going on missions through 
the United States, and every effort was to be made to get 
signers; '*that peradventure," wrote Joseph, "we may learn 
whether we have friends or not in these United States." 

Lyman Wight was instnicted to enter complaints to Gov- 
ernor Dunklin as often as he should receive insults or injuries; 
and should mobs take life or bum houses, and the people of 
Clay County refuse to protect the saints, he was to collect the 
little army of brethren scattered through Clay County, be sent 
over into Jackson County— it will be remembered that the gov- 
ernor had expressed his willingness to escort the saints back 
to their lands by aid of the State militia, though holding that he 
had no authority of law to keep a military force under arms 
for their protection — and do the best he could in maintaining 
the ground. If the excitement continued to abate, then the 
saints were to gather quietly together in the regions surround- 
ing, and be in ^'readiness to move into Jackson County in two 
years from, the ehventh of September next [1836], uMck is the ap- 
pointEd tiTnefor the redemption of Zion, IP — verily I say unto 
you— If The Church, with one united effort, perform their duties 
—if they do this, the work shall be complete"* If, on the 
other hand, The Church failed to gather up the young men and 
means to redeem Zion by the appointed time, **behold," said the 
Prophet, ''there remaineth a scourge for The Church, even that 
they shall be driven from city to city, and but f ew^ shall remain 
to receive an inheritance, "f 



* History of Joseph, MilleiiDial Star, Vol. 15, p. 140. 
t Ibid. 



166 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

During the two years following, the Prophet was busily en- 
gaged in setting in order the various quorums of the priesthood. 

In the winter of 1834-5 the quorum of Twelve Apostles 
and the first quorum of Seventies were organized, being chosen 
principally from among those brethren who had gone up to Mis- 
souri in Zion's Camp. 

But amid the busy scenes at Kirtland— while organizing 
these quorums and instructing them in the duties of their re- 
spective callings; attending the school for the elders; studying 
Hebrew under Professor Sexias; translating some rolls of Egyp- 
tian papyrus containing the precious Book of Abraham, which 
he purchased from M. H. Chandler; attending to general duties 
and correspondence— amid all these busy scenes, Joseph still 
had time to think of Zion and her redemption. On the occasion 
of a large body of the priesthood being present at a meeting 
in Kirtland, on the second of May, 1835, he moved that they 
never give up the struggle for the redemption of Zion, so long 
as life should last. 

September following, the High Council met at the house of 
the Prophet to take into consideration the redemption of Zion. 
It was the decision of the council that the saints who had been 
expelled from Zion, petition the governor of the State to rein- 
state them the following spring, and they would either live or 
die on their lands, and Joseph prayed that they might be success- 
ful in getting eight hundred or a thousand emigrants to go up 
to settle in Zion. Still later, viz: thirteenth of March, 1836, the 
First Presidency resolved to remove on or before the fifteenth 
of May next to Zion; that their influence might be more effec- 
tual in encouraging the saints to gather there. But events of a 
strange character were to occur that would prevent the carrying 
out of these resolutions. The saints did not comply with the 
conditions upon which Zion was to be redeemed. They did not 
with a united effort do their duty. They did not give of their 
means liberally, nor did their young men volunteer readily to go 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 167 

Tip to Zion. Hence, they were not entitled to the fulfillment of 
God's promise to redeem Zion; but instead of this blessing, there 
was suspended over them the promised scourge of being driven 
from city to city, because they failed to keep the command- 
ments; a scourge that has been executed to the uttermost — 
but I will not anticipate the story. 

The petitions the elders circulated throughout the States 
in their travels, asking the people to petition the governor of 
Missouri to reinstate the saints in their homes, met with a re- 
sponse that was considerable. I cannot learn how many names 
were attached to this petition, but when it was mailed on the 
ninth of December, 1835, the package was large, the postage 
amounting to five dollars. But all these efforts failed to move 
the State officials of Missouri to make any effectual effort towards 
restoring the exiles to their own and protecting them in the 
^luiet possession of their property and lives. 



168 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXVn. 

PEACEFUL EXODUS PROM CLAY COUNTY. 

MEANTIME the presence of the saints in Clay County began 
to be a cause of uneasiness among the non-**Mormons" of 
the community. The leading citizens of the county assembled 
at the courthouse in Liberty on the twenty-ninth of June, 1836^ 
to consider the difficulties threatening the people of Clay 
County in consequence of the presence of the "Mormons." After 
the usual organization at such meetings, the conmiittee on reso- 
lutions reported a document that briefly stated the circumstances 
under which the "Mormons" flocked into Clay County; without 
money; without property; without food for their wives and 
children; and, like Noah's dove, without a resting place for their 
feet; and how the people of Clay County in face of the thousand 
reports accusing them of every crime known to the laws of the 
country, had treated them with toleration, and often with pe- 
culiar kindness. The document referred to the statements of the 
leading brethren who had said they did not regard Clay County 
as their permanent home, but merely as a temporary asylum 
which they would promptly leave whenever a respectable por- 
tion of the citizens of the county should request it; and now the 
best interest of the county demanded the fulfillment of that 
pledge. 

The reasons why the saints had become objectionable as 
permanent citizens to many of the people of Clay County were 
stated to be: 

1. Their religious tenets were so different from the present 
churches of the age, that this always had and always would excite deep- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



169 



prejudice against them in any populous country where they might 
locate* 

2. They were eastern men whose manners, habits^ customs, and 
even dialect were essentially different from the Missouriana. 

3. They were ?ion-slave holders, and opposed to slavery, which 
excited deep and abiding prejudices in a community which tolerated 
and protected slavery. 

4. Common report had it that they kept up a constant com- 
munication with the Indian tribes on the frontier; and declared from 
the pulpit that the Indians were a part of God's chosen people, des- 
tined by heaven to inherit with them the land of Missouri. 

'*We do not vouch for the correctness of these state- 
ments," said the committee in their report, **biit whether they 
are true or false, their effect has been the same in exciting our 
community." 

The causes named are represented as having raised a 
prejudice against the saints, and a feeling of hostility, that the 
iirst spark might, and the committee deeply feared would, ignite 
into all the horrors and desolations of a civil war, and it was 

Resolved: That it is the fixed and settled conviction of this 
meeting, that unless the people commonly called Mormons, will agree 
to stop immediately the immigration of their people to this country, 
and take measures to remove themselves from it, a civil war is in- 
evitable. 

We do not contend that we have the least right under the con- 
stitution and laws of the country to expel them by force. But we 
would indeed be blind, if we did not foresee that the first blow that is 
struck at this moment of deep excitement, must and will speedily in- 
volve every individual in a war, l)earing ruin, woe, and desolation in 
its course. It matters but little how, where, or by whom the war 
may begin, when the work of destruction commences, we must all be 
borne onward by the storm, or crushed beneath its fury. 

The saints were told that if they had one spark of grati- 
tude they would not willingly plunge a people into civil war who 
had held out to them the friendly hand of assistance in the dark 



170 



THE MISSOtlRI PERSECUTIONS. 



hour of their distress. A committee of ten were appointed to 
present these views to the leading elders among the "Mormons'* 
with the understanding that if the saints would consent to move 
as requested, the gentlemen who had called the meeting, and 
now asked them to leave Clay County, would use all their influ- 
ence to allay the excitement among the citizens of the county. 

The reply of the Saints to the request to remove from Clay 
County was adopted at a general mass meeting. In their reply 
they expressed their appreciation of the kindness shown them 
by the people of Clay County, They denied having any disposi- 
tion to meddle with slavery. They also denied holding communi- 
cation with the Indians, and said they held themselves as ready 
to defend their country against their barbarous ravages as any 
other people. After making these denials they resolved that 

For the sake of friendship, and to be in a covenant of peace with 
the citizens of Clay County, and they to be in a covenant of peace 
with us, notwithstanding the necessary loss of property, and expense 
we incur in moving, we comply with the requisitions of their resolu- 
tions in leaving the county of Clay, as explained by the preamble ac- 
companying the same; and that we will use onr exertions to have The 
Church do the same. 

It appears that the committee who had presented the reso- 
lutions of the Clay County citizens, had tendered their services 
to assist the saints in selecting a new location, and the latter 
resolved to accept that assistance. The reply from the saints 
was perfectly satisfactory to the people of Clay County, and the 
latter made some arrangements to assist the former in complying 
with their request; that is, two persons from each township 
were appointed to raise money by subscription to aid the "Mor- 
mons" who might need assistance to leave the county, and also 
arrange for some suitable person to assist them in selecting a 
new location for settlement; and recommended the "Mormons" 
to the good treatment of the citizens in surrounding counties; 
and asked them to assist the exiles in selecting some abiding 



THE MISSOUEI PEESECUTIONS. 



171 



place, where they would be, in a measure, the only occupants 
of the land; and where none would be anxious to molest them. 
On the t%venty-fifth of July, 1834, the brethren received a 
letter from Governor Dunklin that was the funeral knell to their 
hopes of executive interference in their behalf. He informed 
them their cases were individual cases, and as such, were sub- 
jects for judicial interference, and not for the special cogni- 
zance of the executive, and to this the governor added: — 

And there are cases, some times, of individual outrage which may 
be so popular as to render the actions of the courts of justice nuga- 
tory, in endeavoring to afford a remedy. # # * * » 
A public sentiment may become paramount law, and when one man, 
or society of men become so obnoxious to that sentiment, as to de- 
termine the people to be rid of him or them, it is useless to mn 
counter to it. * * * Your neighbors accuse your people 
of holding illicit communication with the Indians, and of being 
opposed to slavery. You deny. Whether the charge or the denial is 
true I cannot tell. The/oci exista, and your neighbors seem to believe 
it true; and whether true or false, the consequences will be the same, 
unless you can, by your conduct and arguments, convince them of 
your innocence. If you cannot do this, all / can say to you is, that 
in this republic the vwc popidi is the vox Dei. 

What a mockery then is such government! Under it none 
may hope to enjoy liberty but those who are willing to swim in 
the stream of popular sentiment — a stream oftener filthy than 
clean! oftener wrong than right! — influenced by passion rather 
than reason! How precarious is the hold of the inhabitants of 
such a government upon their hberties — depending upon the 
changing whims of the populace — the populace, which "to-day 
will weep a Cassar slain; to-morrow vote a monument to 
Bmtns!*' Under such a government what is to become of re- 
formers? Perhaps the fate of reformers of other ages, who 
have fallen victims to the hatred of popular sentiment will an- 
swer the questio.n. What is to become of the weaker parties if 




THE MISSOUEI PERSECUTIONS. 



all are to be cniahed or banished that popular sentiment con- 
demns? For what are govemmenta established ifnotto protect 
all, the weak as well as the strong, the despised as well as the 
favored in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness? 

What do constitutions amount to if they are not recognized 
as conservators of liberty, by acting as restraints upon these 
rash acts of injustice, so frequently prompted by the frenzy of 
popular sentiment — a sentiment often manufactured by a 
misrepresentation of the principles and motives of those against 
whom the injustice is levelled? In popular governments consti- 
tutions are adopted for the express purpose of restraining the 
majority in the exercise of its power, and to guarantee the en- 
joyment of rights and liberties to the minority — to those out of 
favor with the popular sentiment of the hour. The tyranny of a 
majority is known and feared, and hence it is restrained by con- 
stitutional provisions, which thus become the bulwarks of 
freedom, hj especially guarding the weak against the strong. 

It may be held that in popular governments the constitu- 
tions and laws enacted in accordance therewith are but the ex- 
pressions of popular sentiment- Grant it. But the popular 
sentiment as expressed in constitutions and laws, is very differ- 
ent from that expressed by an excited populace, not unf requently 
controlled by demagogues. Popular sentiment is often created 
by intemperate speeches, and sustained by misrepresentation. 
But the popular sentiment as expressed by laws and constitutions 
is adopted in legislative halls where right reason has a chance 
to assist in forming the sentiment; and where a decent respect 
for the long established maxims of justice and liberty will be 
taken into consideration, and will influence the legislature in 
forming the rules for the action of the people. When popular 
sentiment is expressed in constitutions and laws, and they are 
enforced, the citizens are, in a measure at least, secure from 
oppression and sudden destruction; but what guarantee have 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 173 

the people against injustice being done, if an inconsiderate, 
frenzied, popular sentiment is to be enforced — a sentiment that 
falsehood creates and that passion directs? None whatever. 
And when the citizens of the American Republic regard the 
prejudiced and excited voice of the populace as the voice of 
God — as Governor Dunklin of Missouri did— let them bid an 
everlasting farewell to freedom! 



174 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXVni. 

PAR WEST. 

AT the time the saints were requested to leave their homes in 
L Clay County, the whole northern part of Missouri was very 
sparsely settled ; and but few counties were organized. As it wa^ 
desirable on the part of the saints to obtain a location where they 
would be the principal settlers and occupants of the lands, where 
they would be free from injustice and violence of mobs, where 
they might quietly gather together and be taught to observe the 
principles of truth in the Gospel of Christ, that they might be 
prepared in all things for the redemption of Zion — upper Mis- 
souri, with its boundless prairies, wooded streams, and sparse 
population, seemed admirably adapted for their home until Zion 
could be redeemed. 

W. W. Phelps and others had traveled through it, and had 
described it to the saints some two years before. It was recom- 
mended to the attention of the brethren by their influential 
friends in Clay County, and so the month of October, 1836, 
found a number of them settling on Shoal Creek. They soon 
petitioned for an enactment organizing a new county, which was 
granted. The new county was organized on the 26th of Decem- 
ber, 1836, and was named Caldwell, with the county seat at Par 
West. 

The town plat of Far West as first laid off embraced a square 
mile, but afterwards additions were made as the population in- 
creased. In the center of the town a large public square was 
laid off, approached by four main roads running east and west, 
north and south, each a hundred feet wide. Eventually the blocks 
were so laid off that each block contained four acres, divided 



THE MiaSOURl PERSECUTIONS, 



175 



into four lots. Far West was located in the western part of 
Caldwell County, about eigiit miles west of the present county 
seat — Kingston. The town site is the highest swell in that high 
rolling prairie country, and is visible from a long distance. 

Standing on what Esed to be the public square of Far West, 
on the occasion of my visit there in 1884, I obtained an excel- 
lent view of all the surrounding country. Vast fields of waving 
corn and meadow land were stretched out on all sides, as far as 
the eye could see. Several towns and villages, witli their white 
church spires gleaming in the sun-hght, were in plain view, 
though from live to ten miles distant. Away to the east is Kings- 
ton, the present county seat of Caldwell; further to the north- 
east is Breckenridge, Hamilton and Kidder; to the west is Platts- 
burg, and south is the quaint village of Polo. All these places 
are within easy vision from the site of Far West, and increase 
the grandeur of the scene. 

The site chosen for Far West is the finest location for a 
city in the county, but notwithstanding aO the advantages of the 
location. Far West has been abandoned. In the fall of 1838 it 
was a thriving town of some three thousand inhabitants, but to- 
day nothing remains except the house of the Prophet Joseph, 
now owned by D, F. Kerr,* and one portion of the Whitmer 
Hotel, now used as a stable. This is all that remains of the 
buildings, at Far West, erected by the hands of the saints. A 
few farm houses have been built in the vicinity since their ex- 
pulsion from Missouri, and a quarter of a mile from the pub- 
lic square stands a neat white Methodist church. 

Nothing but an excavation one hundred and ten feet by 
eighty, enclosed in an old field, with a large rough, unhewn stone 
in each corner, now marks the spot that was once the preten- 
tious public square of Far West. This excavation was made on 
the 3rd of July, 1837, and was intended for the basement of the 



♦ At least it was ownevl by him in 1884. 



176 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



temple the saints expected to erect there. There are several 
very intereating circumstances connected with this old excava- 
tion and the rough corner stones, that will be related as the cir- 
cumstances of which I am writing, shall bring them due. 

Standing on this consecrated ground and viewing the few 
relics that are left to remind us that the saints once lived here, 
one naturally falls into a sad reverie. It is true we are not sur- 
rounded by the fallen columns of rained temples; or the ruins 
of splendid palaces, or massive walls, such as one would meet 
with at Babylon, Jerusalem, Rome or Athens. It is not the ruins 
of an antique or celebrated civilization that inspires one's sad- 
ness over Par West. But there one sits in the midst of the 
ruined prospects and blighted hopes of the saints of God, instead 
of in the midst of broken columns, ponderous arches, and crum- 
bling walls. 

The chief interest ahont Far West, of course, is the fact 
that it was the theatre where was enacted those stirring scenes 
which add another black page to the history of Missouri, 

"If that strange people," says Crosby Jackson in his history 
of Caldwell County, *Vho built Nauvoo and Salt Lake, who un- 
complainingly toiled across the American desert, and made the 
wilderness of Utah to bloom like a garden, had been permitted 
to remain and perfect the work which they had begun here, how 
different would have been the history of Far West! Instead of 
being a farm with scarcely sufficient ruins to mark the spot 
where once it stood, there would have been a rich, populous city, 
along the streets of which would be pouring the wealth of the 
world; and instead of an old dilapidated farmhouse, there would 
have been magnificent temples to which the devout saints from 
the further comers of the world would have made their year! y 
pilgrimage. But the bigotry and intolerance of the saints to- 
wards the gentiles, and especially toward dissenters from the 
new revelations of Joe Smith, rendered such a consummation 
impossible!** 



THE MISSOURI PEHSECUTIONS* 



m 



It now becomes my duty to relate those circumstances which 
prevented the saints from building op Far West, and wliich at 
last drove them as exiles from the State of Missouri; and we 
shall, in the course of our narrative, see whether it was the "big- 
otry and intolerance of the aaints towards the gentiles and dis- 
senters/' that brought about the fate of Far West, or whether 
it was the brutal savagery of pretended "Christians" incited to 
deeds of cruelty by jealous sectarian ministers, and unscrupulous 
demagogues fearful of the growing political power of the "Mor- 
mons/' 

The first settlement in the vicinity of Far West was made 
in October, 1836; by July following, about one hundred build- 
ings had been erected, eight of which were stores. This same 
month the school section of land was sold at auction, and although 
entirely a prairie it sold, on a year's credit, for seven dollars and 
ninety cents per acre, making the settlers' school fund about five 
thousand dollars. Some non-members of The Church expressed 
a desire to establish saloons in the growing town, and endeavored 
to induce some of the brethren to sell intoxicants on commission 
for them, but the High Council resolved not to sustain any per- 
sons as members of The Church, who would become retailers of 
spirituous liquors, and the liquor business was dropped. 

In September, 1837, The Church at Kirtland appointed 
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to seek out new places for the 
gathering of the saints and lay oif other stakes of Zion, than those 
of Far West and Kirtland. On this mission Joseph and Sidney ar- 
rived at Far West in the latter part of October. ^4^ council of the 
Priesthood was called at which it was decided that there was suf- 
cient room in the vicinity of Far West for the gathering of the 
saints from abroad; and hence it was decided that it was not 
necessary for the present to select other places. 

At a general conference convened in October, 1837, the 
several quorums of the Priesthood were set in order. Men and 
measures were thoroughly discussed. Difficulties were adjusted 



178 THE lUSSOUBI PERSECUTIONS. 

and covenants of brotherly love renewed. Twenty-three Elders 
were started out to preach the gospel. It was voted to enlarnre 
the town plat of Far West so that it would contain four sections 
— two miles square. The conference also voted not to i^pport 
any stores or shops selling spirituous liquors, tea, coffee or to- 
bacco. 



THE MISSOURI PEHSECUTIONS. 



179 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



THE FALL OF DAVID WHITMER AND OLIVER COWDEBY. 

THUS Far West was founded; and the impediments to her 
growth BE a strictly moral and temperance city removed. 
And yet, causes were at work that were undermining the spiritual 
strength of many of the saints, and killing the influence of a 
number of the elders in high positions. A wave of speculation, 
especially in lands, swept over the entire country, and the breth- 
ren partook largely of this spirit, which proved ruinous to their 
spiritual life. Among those who were affected by this spirit of 
wild speculation to their injury were John Whitmer and W. W. 
Phelps. Shortly afterwards Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, 
two of the three witnesses to the truth of the Book of Mormon, 
w^ere excommunicated. The charges sustained before the High 
Council against Oliver Cowdery were : 

1. Persecuting the brethren by urging on vexatious law suits 
against them, and thus distressing the innocent. 

2. Seeking to destroy the character of Joseph Smith, Jr., by 
falsely insinuating that he was guilty of adultery. 

3. Treating The Church with contempt by not attending meet- 
ings. 

4. Leaving his calling, to which God had appointed him by 
revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice 
of law. 

5. Disgracing The Church by being connected in the "bogus" 
business, as common report says,* 



♦Upper Missouri was infested with sharpa engaged in counterfeit- 
ing the currencj of the United States, and common rumor connected 
Oliver Cowdery with them. 



180 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



6. Dldhonestly retaining notes after they had heen paid ; and 
finally forsakiEg the cause of God and returning to the beggarly 
elements of the world, and neglecting his high and holy calling, ac- 
cording to his profession. 

The charges sustained against David Whltiner were: 

L Not observing the word of wisdom. 

2. Unchristian-like conduct in neglecting to attend meetings, 
and in uniting with and possessing the same spirit as the dissenters. 

3. Writing letters to the dissenters in Kirtland, unfavorable 
to the cause and to the character of Joseph Smith, Jr. 

4. Neglecting the duties of his calling, and separating himself 
from The Church. 

5. Signing himself president of the Church of Christ in an in- 
sulting letter to the High Council, after he had been cut off from the 
presidency.* 

As before stated, these two men, Oliver Cowdery and David 
Whitmerj were two of the three special witnesses to the Book 
of Mormon, It was, therefore, a bold move to excommunicate 
them. Although it may be thought outside the theme I am fol- 
lowing in these pages to make such a digression, still I can- 
not refrain from indulging in the following retiections: Sup- 
pose for a moment that the theory of the world relative to the 
origin of the Book of Mormon be true; that is, that it was the 



* In reorganizitig the quorums of the Priesthood at Far West, in 
No%*ember, i836» to which we have alluded, David Whitmer was made 
president of The Church in Missourij and W. W. Phelps and John 
Wliitmer» counselors; but the whole Church under the leadership 
of Thomas B. Marsh, Lyman Wight, David Patten , and others, 
on February 5, 1838, met as a committee of the whole 1 and pre- 
ferred serious charges of wickedness against the three presidents, 
and refused to sustain them in their oflBce, The vote which deposed 
them was unanimous, but the presidents refused to acknowledge the 
authority of The Church and continued to sign documents as presi- 
dents of The Church. It is this to which the fifth charge against David 
Whitmer refers. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



181 



production of Solomon Spaulding or Sidney Rigdon; that Joseph 
Smith was put forward as a figure-head; and the three witnesses 
were induced to become parties to the fraud that was to be per- 
petrated on mankind — if this supposition were true, would Joseph 
Smith and Sidney Rigdon, under such circumstances, have dared to 
withdraw their fellowship from these men? If the Book of Mor- 
mon were a huge scheme to deceive mankind, and Cowdery and 
Whitmer were parties with Smith and Rigdon to the deception, 
the latter would hardly venture to cast away the former, for fear 
they might deny their testimony, expose the fraud, and cause 
the whole Mormon Church fabric to collapse. If the Book of 
Mormon had been a fraudulent production, Joseph Smith and 
Sidney Rigdon would never have dared to break with these two 
important witnesses, whatever their wickedness might be. But 
the bold, independent course pursued in excommunicating them, 
when their conduct warranted the action, supplies good evidence 
that Joseph Smith knew that the existence of The Church did 
not depend on the testimony of Oliver Cowdery and David Whit- 
mer. The Book of Mormon being true, it would stand independ- 
ent of these witnesses, and Joseph knew it. But the most grati- 
fying part of it is, these witnesses to the Book of Mormon, 
though separated from The Church — excommunicated for un- 
righteousness—never denied their testimony or changed it in 
the least. But the fact of their having uniformly adhered to 
their testimony while disconnected with The Church, doubtless 
adds strength to that testimony, as they stand in the light of 
disinterested witnesses. 

Oliver Cowdery, after his excommunication, became a wan- 
derer for a number of years, unsettled and restless, though fol- 
lowing the profession of the law. It was impossible for a man 
i^who had once tasted the glories of the Celestial Kingdom of God, 
Oliver Cowdery had, to be satisfied with the dry husks of the 
beggarly elements of the world; and hence after some ten years 
of wandering outside The Church of Christ he at last found his 



182 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



way back to the fold of God, to the house of his father, and 
begged to be admitted as a humble member of The Church, 
This was in the early part of November, 1848, before a High 
Council over which Elder Orson Hyde presided. On that oc- 
casion Oliver Cowdery said: '^Brethren, for a number of years I 
have been separated from you. I now desire to come back. I 
wish to come humbly and be one in your midst. I seek no sta- 
tion, I only wish to be identified with you. I am out of The 
Church. I am not a member of The Church, but I wish to be- 
come a member of it, I wish to come in at the door. I know 
the door. I have not come here to ask precedence. I come 
humbly and throw myself upon the decisions of this body, know- 
ing as I do, that its decisions are right and should be obeyed." 

Soon after this he was re-baptized. He was on his way to 
join the main body of The Church when he stopped atKanesviHe, 
Iowa, where the above occurred. Before continuing his journey 
west he resolved to visit his wife's friends, the Whitmers, then 
living at Richmond, Missouri; and while there he was taken with 
an illness from which he died, on the 3rd of March, 1850, in his 
forty-tfth year. According to the testimony of Phineas Young, 
who was present at his death, '%is last moments were spent in 
bearing testimony of the truth of the gospel revealed through 
Joseph Smith, and the power of the holy Priesthood which he 
had received through his administration," 

David Whitmer never denied his testimony to the truth of 
the Book of Mormon, through all the years of hia separation 
from The Church, but repeatedly reaffirmed it, especially in the 
closing years of his life. Three days previous to his death, which 
occurred on the 25th of January, 1888, he called his family and 
a number of his friends to his bedside, and turning to his physi- 
cian, said: 

"Dr. Buchanan, I want you to say whether or not I am in 
my right mind, before I give my dying testimony." 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 183 

The doctor answered: "Yes, you are in your right mind, for 
I have just had a conversation with you." 

He then addressed himself to all around his bedside in these 
words: "Now, you must all be faithful in Christ. I want to say 
to you all, the Bible and the record of the Nephites (Book of 
Mormon) is true, so that you can say that you heard me bear 
my testimony on my death-bed. All be faithful in Christ, and 
your reward will be according to your works. God bless you 
jail. My trust is in Christ forever, worlds without end. Amen."* 



* Richmond Democrat, February 2, 1888. 



184 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE APOSTASY AT KIRTLAND. 

THE spirit of apostasy referred to in the last chapter was 
by no means confined to Missouri. It extended more or 
less throughout The Church, but more especially at Kirtland. 
During the winter of 1836 and the early summer of 1837, a 
wild spirit of speculation swept over the United States, and the 
members of The Church had been carried away with it. 

Money had been plentiful, easy to borrow, and a spirit of 
reckless extravagance and speculation had taken hold of the 
people. When the reaction from this only seeming state of 
prosperity set in, financial ruin stared the people in the face. 
As a result of these conditions and the spirit engendered by 
them, "evil surmisings, fault-finding, disunion, dissension and 
apostasy followed in quick succession'' among the saints in Kirt- 
land. "It seemed," says the Prophet Joseph, in speaking of the 
conditions existing in the early summer of 1837 — "It seemed as 
though all the powers of earth and hell were combining their 
influence in an especial manner to overthrow The Church and 
make a final end." 

Many of the leading brethren became especially bitter 
against the Prophet of God, as though he were the sole cause of 
the evils he was striving against, and which were brought about 
by the brethren not giving heed to his counsels. "No quorum 
in The Church," remarks Joseph, "was entirely exempt from the 
influence of those false spirits who were striving against me for 
the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far lost to their 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 185 

high and responsible calling, as to begin taking sides, secretly, 
with the enemy."* 

Early in 1837 the Kirtland Safety Society Bank was organ- 
ized. It was one of the many banks which sprung up all over 
the United States about that time, and which under the current 
banking laws issued bank currency; and with hundreds of 
other similar institutions throughout the land, went down in the 
financial maelstrom which swept over the country in the latter 
part of 1837. 

Among those disaffected at Kirtland there were some who 
held the Prophet responsible for the failure of the Safety 
Society Bank. Some charged that they had been given to un- 
derstand that the bank was instituted by the will of God, and 
that "it would never fail, let men do what they would."t The 
Prophet disclaimed having made any such statement, or having 
authorized any one else to make it. On the contrary, he declared 
in open conference, held at Kirtland on the 3rd of September, 

1837, that he had always said "that unless the institution was 
conducted on righteous principles, it would not stand."t 

But notwithstanding his disclaimers, apostates in Kirtland 
held him responsible for its failure; and by early January, 

1838, the spirit of these men became so bitter that the Prophet 
Joseph and Sidney Rigdon had to seek safety in flight in the 
direction of Far West. They fled by night from the city on 
horseback, but subsequently were joined by their families in 
wagons and thus made the tedious journey with teams. 

The weather was cold, and sometimes they were obliged to 
secrete themselves in their wagons to escape their enemies. 



* History Joseph Smith, Millennial Star, Vol. i6, p. ii, 

t A statement of this character was made by Elder Boynton, one 

of the Twelve Apostles, at a conference held at Kirtland, September 3, 

1837- 

t History Joseph Smith, Millennial Star, Vol. 16, p. 56. 
12 



186 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

who followed them for about two hundred miles from Elirtlaiid. 
The mobbers frequently crossed their track. Twice they were 
in the same house with the brethren; and once they stopped at 
the same house over night, with only a partition wall between 
them, through which the Prophet and his companion could hear 
their oaths, threats and imprecations. They even went into the 
room of the brethren, looked upon them, but concluded they 
were not the men they were pursuing. 

Part of the time the Prophet and Sidney traveled together, 
but for greater security they sometimes traveled alone. At 
Terre Haute, Indiana, they separated and did not meet again 
until they arrived at Far West. Joseph reached the latter place 
on the 14th of March, and Sidney Rigdon on the 4th of April 
following. 

The saintrt at Far West received the Prophet and Elder 
Rigdon with every demonstration of joy. Indeed, when they 
heard that Joseph was en route for Missouri, a delegation of 
brethren with teams and money went to meet him a hundred 
and twenty miles from Far West, and greatly assisted him in 
completing a journey with dispatch and safety which had been 
fraught with so many dangers. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 187 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN. 

Joseph was forever active. His appearance in the midst of 
J the saints was always the signal for increased activity in 
all phases of the work. A day or two after his arrival at Par 
West, while walking over the prairie, in company with several 
of the brethren, in one of those sudden out-bursts of inspiration 
so frequent and natural with and to him, he gave the following 
as the 

POLITICAL MOTTO OF THE CHURCH OP JESUS CHRIST OP LATTER-DAY 

SAINTS. 

The Constitution of our country formed by the Fathers of Lib- 
erty: peace and good order in society; love to God, and good will to 
man. All good and wholesome laws; virtue and truth above all things, 
and Aristarchy* live for ever; but woe to tyrants, mobs, aristocracy, 
anarchy and toryism, and all those who invent or seek out unright- 
eous and vexatious law suits, under the pretext and color of law or 
office, either religious or political. Exalt the standard of Democracy! 
Down with that of priestcraft, and let all the people say. Amen! That 
the blood of the fathers may not cry from the ground against us. 
Sacred is the memory of that blood which bought for us our Liberty. 

That is a motto that will challenge the admiration of all 
patriots, and is worthy of living in the archives of the great 
Republic. 



^Aristarchy — a body of good men at the head of government. 



188 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

Conferences, the convening of High Councils, preparing 
elders to go on missions, making arrangements for settling the 
ever-increasing numbers of the saints on the new lands of Far 
West, were the common labors of the day. * 

In May, 1838, Joseph and other leading brethren started on 
an exploring expedition to the north, for the purpose of finding 
new districts where more stakes of Zion ~ might be laid oflf, 
and the gathering saints find homes. They traveled north until 
they reached Grand River, a stream sufficient for steamboat" 
navigation in the rainy seasons, but so fluctuating that it is not 
practically a navigable stream. Time has cut the channel very 
deep, and left the wood-lined banks in places quite precip- 
itous. 

After reaching Grand River, Joseph and his party followed 
up the beautiful stream which lead them a north-westerly course. 
Having traveled some thirty miles from Far West, they camped 
on the north side of Grand River, at Tower Hill, a name which 
the Prophet Joseph gave it, because of findirf an old ruined 
Nephite tower or altar on the hill. Half a ryie north of Tower 
Hill, Joseph and party selected and laid claim to a site for a city 
in township sixty, ranges twenty-seven and eight, sections twenty- 
five, thirty-six, thirty-one, and thirty. Some of the saints had 
been located at the place for several months and called it Spring 
Hill; but by the mouth of the Lord it was named Adam-ondi- 
Ahman;* because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall 
come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as 
spoken of by Danielf the prophet. 

Adam-ondi-Ahman, then, or Diahman, as it was familiarly 
known to the Missouri saints, is located on the north bank of 
Grand River. It is situated, in fact, in a great bend of the 
Grand. The river comes sweeping down from the north-west. 



*Doc. & Cov. Sec. ii6. 
t Daniel 8: 9-14. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 189 

and here makes a bold curve and runs in a meandering course to 
the north-east for some two or three miles, when it as suddenly 
makes anotjier curve and flows again to the south-east. We 
have already spoken of Grand River as a stream that has worn 
a deep channel for itself, and lefj; its banks precipitous; but 
here at Diahman that is only true of the south bank. The 
stream, as it rushed from the north-west, struck this height of 
prairie land containing beds of lime-stone, and not being able 
to cut its way through, it veered off to the nortfi-east, and left 
that height of land standing like a palisade that rises very ab- 
ruptly from the stream to a height of from fifty to seventy-five 
feet; but the summit of these bluffs is the common level of the 
high, rolling prairie, extending off in the direction of Far West. 
The bluffs on the north bank recede some distance from the 
stream, so that the river bottom at this point widens out to a 
small valley. The bluffs on the north bank of the river are by 
no means as steep as those on the south, and are covered with 
a heavier growth of timber. A ridge or spur runs out from the 
main line of the bluffs into the river bottom some two or three 
hundred yards, approaching the stream at the point where the 
curve is made. The termination of the bluff is quite abrupt, 
and overlooks a considerable portion of the river bottom. On 
the brow of the bluff stood the old stone altar which the breth- 
ren found there. When it was first discovered, according to 
those who visited it frequently, it was about sixteen feet long, 
by nine or ten feet wide, having its greatest extent north and 
south. The height of the altar as the brethren found it, was 
some two and a half feet at each end but gradually rising higher 
to the center, which was between four and five feet high — the 
whole surface being crowning. 

Such was the altar at Diahman when the brethren found it. 
Now, however, it is thrown down and nothing but a mound of 
crumbling stones mixed with soil, and a few boulders, mark the 
spot which is doubtless rich in historic events. It was here that 



190 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

the patriarchs, associated with Adam and in his company, as- 
sembled at this altar to worship their God. Here their evening^ 
prayers ascended to heaven in the smoke of the burning sacri- 
fice, and here angels instructed them in heavenly truths — but 
more of this anon. 

North of the ridge on which the ruins of the altar are 
found, and running parallel with it, is another ridge, separated 
from the first by a depression or miniature valley, varying in width 
from fifty to a*hundred yards. This small valley, with the larger 
one through which flows Grand River, is the valley of Adam-ondi- 
Ahman. Three years previous to the death of Adam, he 
gathered the patriarchs Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, 
Enoch and Methuselah, together with all their righteous poster^ 
ity, into this valley we have described; and there gave them his 
last blessing. And even as he blessed them, the heavens were 
opened, and the Lord appeared, and in the presence of their 
God, the children of Adam arose and blessed him, and called 
him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel. The Lord also blessed 
Adam, saying: "I have set thee to be the head — a multitude of 
nations shall come of thee, and thou art a Prince over them for 
ever." So great was the influence of this double blessing upon 
Adam, that though he was bowed down with age, under the out- 
pouring of the Holy Ghost he predicted what should befall his 
posterity, to their latest generations. Thus we find the valley 
of Diahman a hallowed spot, made so because of these sacred 
associations. 

But all the interest concerning Diahman is not associated 
with the past, it is connected with the future as well. For it 
is in this same valley that the "Ancient of Days," Adam, will 
come and meet with his posterity, when thousand thousands 
shall minister to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand shall 
stand before him; here is where the books will be opened and 
the judgment shall sit. Here, too, the Son of Man will appear 
to this vast multitude, in the clouds of heaven, and coming to 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 191 

the Ancient of Days, shall give to him dominion and glory, and 
issue a decree that all people, nations and languages shall serve 
and obey him; and his dominion shall be everlasting, and his 
kingdom one that shall never be destroyed.* 

Such were the scenes of the past enacted in the "Valley 
of Diahman:" such are the splendid scenes to be enacted there 
in the future! No wonder if Satan has contended with the 
saints for the possession of this holy ground! Does not the 
fact of its being chosen as the place where the Kingdom of 
God shall be established in power no more to be destroyed, ex- 
plain in part why there was such an effort on the part of the 
powers of darkness to drive the saints away from it? And, 
again, do not the very efforts made by Satan to drive away 
the saints, sustain the words of the prophets that declare this 
to be holy ground? 

On the evening of May 21st, 1838, a few days after the 
arrival of Joseph's exploring party at Diahman, a council of the 
whole party was called, and it was decided not to go farther 
north, but counsel the people to settle at Diahman, and secure 
the land between there and Far West. So rapidly did the saints 
gather to this place, that about one month from the time it was 
selected, a stake of Zion was organized there. John Smith, 
uncle of the Prophet, was chosen president; Reynolds Cahoon 
and Lyman Wight were selected to be his counselors. A High 
Council was also organized, and Vinson Knight was chosen 
acting Bishop pro tempore. 



* Daniel 7th chapter; see also Doc. & Cov. Sec. 107. 



192 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1838. 

^r^HE Fourth of July, 1838, is a memorable day in the history 
A of Far West. The saints had long been vexed by their 
enemies. They had seen their homes destroyed, their helpless 
women and children driven into the wilderness by cruel mobs, 
when the exiles could be traced by the blood left in their tracks. 
They had been robbed of their possessions and maltreated in 
their persons until they were driven almost to desperation. They 
took advantage therefore of Independence Day to declare their 
intentions no more to quietly submit to the outrages perpetrated 
against them. Joseph Smith was president of the day; and his 
brother Hyrum, vice-president; Sidney Rigdon, orator; and Rey- 
nolds Gaboon, chief marshal. They marched in procession through 
the town and at last formed a circle around a large excavation 
—one hundred feet long by eighty wide — in the public square; 
and there, with appropriate ceremonies, they laid the comer 
stones of the House of the Lord at Far West. This was fol- 
lowed by speeches, music, prayers, reading the Declaration of 
Independence, etc. Sidney Rigdon, orator of the day, stirred 
with indignation in contemplating the sufferings the saints had 
endured, allowed his eloquence to carry him beyond the limits 
of calm wisdom, and many of the words spoken by him on that 
occasion, though corrected by the Prophet Joseph, were later 
made use of by the enemies of The Church, to the injury of the 
saints. 

As an example of Elder Rigdon's unwise and intemperate 
language on the occasion referred to, I quote the following para- 
graph from his speech: 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 193 

Our cheeks have been given to the smiters — our heads to those 
who have plucked off the hair. We have not only when smitten on 
one cheek turned the other, but we have done it again and again, until 
we are wearied of being smitten, and tired of being trampled upon. 
We have proved the world with kindness, we have suffered their abuse, 
without cause,with patience and have endured without resentment until 
this day, and still their persecutions and violence do not cease. But from 
this day and this hour we will suffer it no more. We take God and all the 
holy angels to witness, this day, that we warn all men, in the name of 
Jesus Christ to come on us no more for ever, for from this hour we 
will bear it no more, our rights shall not be trampled upon with im- 
punity; the man, or the set of men who attempt it, do it at the ex- 
pense of their lives. And that mob that comes on us to disturb us, it 
shall be between us and them a war of extermination; for we will fol- 
low them until the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will 
have to exterminate us, for we will carry the seat of war to their own 
houses and their own families, and one party or the other shall be 
utterly destroyed. Remember it then, all men. We will never be 
the aggressors, we will infringe on the rights of no people, but 
shall stand for our own until death. We claim our own rights and 
are willing that all others shall enjoy theirs. No man shall be at 
liberty to come into our streets, to threaten us with mobs, for if he 
does he shall atone for it before he leaves the place, neither shall he 
be at liberty to vilify and slander any of ns, for suffer it we 
will not, in this place. We therefore take all men to record 
this day, that we proclaim our liberty this day, as did our 
fathers, and we pledge this day to one another our fortunes, our 
lives, and our sacred honors, to be delivered from the persecutions, 
which we have had to endure for the last nine years or nearly that 
time. Neither will we indulge any man, or set of men, in instituting 
vexatious law suits against us, to cheat us out of our rights; if they 
attempt it we say woe unto them. We this day, then, proclaim our- 
selves free with a purpose and determination that never can be broken, 
no, never! No, never!! No, never!!! — Collection of Facts. — Rigdon 
in Missouri^ by J, M, Grant, p, 11. 



194 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

KIRTLAND CAMP. 

IT may not be inappropriate here to break the direct line 
of my narrative, for the purpose of noticing events 
that are but indirectly connected with the Missouri per- 
secutions; and yet are peculiarly characteristic of "Mormon" 
movements. The seventies that were in Kirtland in the spring 
of 1838, met in the House of the Lord there, and discussed the 
best method of removing the quorum to Missouri. It was mani- 
fest both by vision and by prophecy, that they should go up in 
a camp, pitching their tents by the way; and the liberty of going 
with the camp was to be extended to those that were not seven- 
ties, on the condition that they would comply with the rules of 
the camp. A commission of seven, all seventies, was appointed 
to lead the camp; and there were also appointed a chief engineer, 
a historian, and a general treasurer. The camp was divided in 
companies of ten, with a captain over each company. The rules 
governing "Kirtland Camp," as it is called in Church history^ 
were few, and smack of a primitive simplicity: 

1. The engineer shall receive advice from the counselors (the 
commission of seven) concerning his duties. 

2. At four o'clock a. m., the horn shall blow for rising, and at 
twenty minutes past four for prayers, at which time each captain of 
ten shall see that the inmates of his tent are ready for worship. 

3. The head of each division shall keep a roll of all his able- 
bodied men to stand guard, in turn, as called for by the engineer; one- 
half in the former, the other half in the latter part of the night. 

4. Each company of the camp is entitled to an equal portion of 
the milk whether it owds the cows or not. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 195 

5. Appointed a herdsman for the camp, who was to call for the 
assistance necessary to care of the stock. 

6. Provided the camp should not travel more than fifteen miles 
a day, unless absolutely necessary. 

A company of two hundred and forty-nine males, and two 
hundred and sixty-six females, a total of five hundred and fifteen 
souls, with twenty-seven tents, ninety-seven horses, twenty-two 
oxen, sixty-nine cows, camped about a quarter of a mile south 
of the Lord's House in Kirtland, on the fifth of July, 1838; and 
the next day started for Missouri, The journey was long and tedi- 
ous; many difliculties were encountered and numerous obstacles 
overcome. A spirit of murmuring was frequently manifested, 
much sickness was in the camp, and because of their disobedience, 
evil spirits plagued them by getting possession of their bodies. 
At times they would camp by the way-side to rest their jaded 
teams, when the brethren would generally get a small con- 
tract of work to do; such as harvesting a field of grain, building 
fences or making road. In this way they spent the summer in 
journeying to Missouri, where they arrived late in autumn. 

A company of saints organized in a similar manner, in Can- 
ada, under the leadership of John E. Page, in their journey to 
Missouri met with the camp from Kirtland, on Sunday the 12th 
of August, and John E. Page preached to the Kirtland Camp. As 
they passed through' the country they received varied treatment 
at the hands of the people. At times they were allowed to pass 
on in peace, and then threatened with violence; and at times 
actually assaulted. Their toils and sufferings, their faithfulness 
and rebellions, their rejoicings and sorrows, their preaching the 
word in the wilderness, their hunger, fatigue, sickness, deaths, 
and the final arrival of the travel-worn remnants of the camp in 
Far West and Diahman would, if related in detail, make a long 
interesting chapter, but we have not space to say more here. 



196 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

GALLATIN. 

THE sparsely settled counties of upper Missouri, as well as 
the newly organized county of Caldwell, seemed to prom- 
ise an asylum where the exiles from Jackson and Clay Counties, 
and the gathering saints from the East, could find peace and 
rest. But the illusion was soon to be dispelled, the hope blighted. 
They were to receive another testimony that the Church of 
Christ was still militant, and not triumphant; and that the true 
disciple of Christ must endure patiently the fortunes of that 
warfare. 

Renewed hostilities with the Missourians began in this 
way: On the 6th of August, 1838, an election was held at Galla- 
tin, in Daviess County; and the old settlers under the leadership 
of H. P. Peniston, made a determined effort to prevent the "Mor- 
mons" from voting. Some of the bullies among the Missourians 
persistently insulted the brethren, which was endured patiently 
for a time; but when at last a drunken rough — one Dick Weld- 
ing — attempted to strike a brother by the name of Samuel 
Brown, Perry Durphy caught his arm, and this was made an ex- 
cuse by the Missourians to begin a general assault. 

The Missourians, although outnumbering the brethren, 
found themselves overmatclfed and beat a hasty retreat to get 
arms. Among those who fought hardest for his rights as an 
American citizen, and in the defense of his brethren, was John 
L. Butler; and as soon as they left, Butler called the brethren 
together and said: "We are American citizens; our fathers 
fought for their liberty, and we will maintain the same princi- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONSj 197 

pies." Here he was interrupted by the county officials who told 
the brethren that the whole disturbance was a premeditated 
thing, to prevent them from voting, and requested them to with- 
draw, as they feared it might end in bloodshed. 

By this time the Missourians began to collect, armed to the 
teeth and greatly reinforced; and as the brethren were unarmed, 
they retired to their homes, collected their families and con- 
cealed them in the hazel thickets. The rain fell in torrents 
through the night; the women and children were lying on the 
ground, while the men guarded them. 

Judge Morin,of Daviess County, some two weeks before the 
time of election, had told Levi Stewart and others that there 
was a movement on foot then to prevent the "Mormons" from 
voting; and advised them if they went to the election at Galla- 
tin to go armed, prepared to assert their rights. The brethren, 
however, had not heeded the friendly warning, and went to the 
polls unarmed, with the result above stated. 

The report of the trouble at Gallatin which reached Far 
West was very much exaggerated. It stated that three of the 
brethren had been killed, and were refused burial, and that the 
people of Daviess County were arming to drive the saints from 
their homes in Diahman. Upon the reception of the report, the 
Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and other leading men 
started for the settlement of the saints, their company increas- 
ing on the route, by brethren living between Far West and Diah- 
man joining them. The company arrived at the house of Lyman 
Wight, and there learned the truth in relation to the Gallatin 
trouble. 

The whole country was in an uproar, in which ministers of 
the gospel and county officials joined; and by their connection 
with it made the disturbance formidable. 

The whole company that had come with Joseph from Far 
West rode over to a spring on the prairie, a short distance from 
Wight's house, and a committee called upon Judge Adam Black, 



198 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

the justice of the peace for that district, and judge-elect for the 
county, to learn if he justified the course of the proceeding at 
Gallatin, on the part of the old settlers; to which he replied he 
did not. As he was a justice of the peace, they desired to know 
if Ke would administer the law justly and not join the mob. The 
question was put to him because rumor had it that he was con- 
nected with the mob element. He replied that he would ad- 
minister the law fairly, and consented to give a statement in 
writing to that effect, and also denied having any connection 
with the mob. As this occurrence at Black's residence was 
made the excuse for commencing those hostilities which termi- 
nated so disastrously to the saints, I give Black's agreement in 
full — orthography and capitalization as in the original: 

I, Adam Black, a justice of the Peace of Davies county do here 
by Sertif y to the people, coled Mormin, that he is bound to suport the 
Constitution of this State, and of the United States, and he is not at- 
tached to any mob, nor will he attach himself to any such people, 
and so long as they will not molest me, I will not molest them. This 
the 8th day of August, 1838. 

Adam Black J. P. 

While the judge-elect was making out this, to him, weighty 
document, Mrs. Black was chastising the brethren with the val- 
or of her tongue, in a manner that, doubtless, would have made 
the ancient Xantippe green with envy. After securing this 
agreement of peace from Judge Black, the company returned to 
Wight's, where they met some citizens from Millport, and ar- 
ranged to hold a conference the next day at noon with the prin- 
cipal men of Daviess County. Among those who attended that 
meeting, the day following, were Joseph Morin, State senator- 
elect; John Williams, State representative-elect; the clerk of 
the circuit court and others. Those men, and the principal 
elders of The Church, entered into a solemn agreement to pre- 
serve each other's rights, and stand in each other's defense. If 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



199 



men in the respective parties should do wrong, they were not to 
he upheld or screened from justice by their friends; but must 
be delivered xip to be dealt with according to law and justice. 

But like some hardened sinner, who 'even in penance will 
plan sins anew," so with the Misaouriana; while some of their 
leading men were entering into covenants of peace, others of 
them were planning the destruction of the saints. The very 
day following the agreement of peace referred to, Wm. P. Peni- 
ston, who had incited the mob disturbance at the Gallatin election, 
went before the circuit judge, Austin A. King, and made out a 
complaint against Joseph Smith, Lyman Wight and others, ac- 
cusing them of having surrounded the house of Adam Black,and 
under threats of immediate death, compelled him to sign a most 
disgraceful paper; also that the same men and their followers 
had threatened to take his life on sight, and the same threat 
extended to others. He claimed that the body of men following 
Joseph Smith numbered some five hundred, that they were armed, 
and that their actions were of a highly insurrectionary char- 
acter, and that their object was to intimidate and drive from 
the county all the old citizens, and possess themselves of their 
lands, or to force such as would not leave to accept their 
measures and submit to their dictation. In the latter part of 
the month, Adam Black, himself, swore out a complaint to the 
same effect; adding that the "Mormons" would not submit to 
the law. 

As soon as it was heard that Joseph Smith and a body of 
followers had gone armed into Daviess County to inquire about 
their friends, a committee of Ray County citizens came up to 
Far West to inquire into the reasons of such a movement. A 
meeting was called and a committee appointed to give the com- 
mittee from Ray all the information required. 

Joseph's movements were watched very closely. On the 
occasion of his returning from a visit to a company of saints 
camped on the forks of Grand River, between thirty and forty 



200 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

miles from Far West, he and the small company of brethren 
with him were chased some distance by a body of armed men, 
but they escaped. 

It was reported that Joseph would not submit to civil pro- 
cess, that he defied the law. A charge had been trumped up 
in Daviess County against him, for going there in arms to in- 
quire about the Gallatin election troubles, and on the morning 
of the 13th of August the sheriff of Daviess County and Judge 
Morin called upon Joseph and informed him that they had a 
writ for his arrest. Joseph expressed his willingness to be tried, 
but as the people of Daviess County were very much — though 
unjustly — exasperated at him, he wished to be tried in his own 
county, and the laws gave him that right. Upon this insistance the 
sheriff refused to serve the warrant, and he said he would see 
Judg King about it. Joseph agreed to remain at home until his 
return; which he did. On his return the sheriff informed the 
Prophet that he was out of his jurisdiction. 

The excitement which had been aroused, however, could 
not be abated. On the contrary, it spread into surrounding 
counties and its intensity increased. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



201 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

r 

BOGGS IN ACTION— DEFENSE CONSTRUED INTO DFTENaE. 

THIS excitement in Daviess and surrounding; counties, and 
the Indian difficulties whicli were threatening abont the 
same time, induced Governor Boggs* to send an order to Gen. 
David R, Atchison, third division of Missouri militia, ordering 
him to raise within the limits of his district, four hundred 
mounteil men, armed and equipped as infantry or riflemen, to be 
held in readiness to quell disturbances arising either from the 
excitement concerning the ^'Mormon*' troubles, or Indian out- 
breaks. This order was dated August 30, 1838. 

In order to show his willingness to honor the law, Joseph, 
under the counsel of General Atchison, under whom and General 
Doniphan, Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were studjring law, volun- 
teered to be tried for going armed into Daviess County before 
the circuit judge, Austin A. King, The judge was notified of 
Joseph's action, and the place selected for trial was the house 
of a Brother Littleiield, about fifteen miles north of Far West, 
where the little village of Winston is now located. But as the 
plaintiff, Wm. P, Peniston, failed to put in an appearance, the 
trial was postponed until the next day, to take place at the 
house of a Mr. Raglin, one of the chief mobocrats. The result 
of the trial was that Joseph and Lyman Wight were hound over 
in a five hundred dollar bond to appear at the next session of 



* This was Lilburn W. Boggs who, dtiring the troubles in Jackson 
Conn ty» was lieuteaatit -governor of the State, and who not only quietly 
looked on and saw the saints driven from their homes by mob violence^ 
but secretly aided and encouraged the mob in its atrocities. 
IB 



202 



THE MISSOURI PEfiSECUTlONS, 



the district court; though Judge King afterwards said nothing 
worthy of bonds had been proven against them. 

The leaders of the nnob had sent out representatives into 
the surrounding counties, asking the people to join them in driv- 
ing the * 'Mormons'* from the State. They were usually s^iccess- 
ful in getting assistance, but when the people of Chariton County 
were appealed to they determined to proceed carefully, and very 
wisely sent two delegates to Caldwell and Daviess counties, to 
make inquiries as to the cause of the excitement. These men 
were at Joseph's trial before Judge King^ and at its close ac- 
companied him and hia party to Far West, where the informa- 
tion they received convinced them that there was no occasion 
for the people of Chariton County to join with the surrounding 
counties in an effort to drive the saints from their homes. Chari- 
ton County is due east of Caldwell, with Carroll and Livingston 
intervening. 

The whole country was in a state of intense excitement, 
and so many wild rumors were af oat, that it was difficult to de- 
termine just what the situation was. The brethren, however, 
were very active in moving from point to point, wherever there 
was a threatened attack upon ' their people. Hearing that a 
wagon load of arms and ammunition was en rtmte from Rich- 
mond to the moblinfesting the vicinity of Diahman, Captain 
Wm. Allred took a company of ten mounted men and started to 
intercept the transport. They found the wagon broken down, 
and the boxes of guns concealed near the roadside in the tall 
grass; but no one was in sight. Shortly after this party had 
discovered the arms, they saw moving over the prairie, from the 
direction of the mob's camp, two horsemen and behind them a 
third man driving a team. These parties came up to the broken 
down wagon and were arrested by Captain Allred, by virtue of 
a vrrit he held for them issued by the civil authorities of Cald- 
well County. The prisoners and the guns were taken to Far 
West, and after an examination before Albert Petty, justice of 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



203 



the peace, they were held to bail for their appearance at the 
next term of the circuit court* The names of these parties 
were, J, B, Comer, held as principal, and Wm. L. McHoney and 
Allen Miller as being in the employ of Comer, engaged in fur- 
nishing a mob with arms for an illegal purpose. 

Judge King was informed of the arrest of these men, and 
bis advice was asked as to what disposal should be made of the 
prisoners. He replied that the prisoners must be turned loose 
and treated kindly. He had no advice to give about the guns, 
and was at a loss to know how to account for them being in the 
possession' of Comer, as they belonged to goveniraent, and had 
been in the custody of Captain Pollard, li\ing in the vicinity 
of Richmond. I have already related how the prisoners w^ere 
held to bail The guns were distributed among the brethren to 
be used in self-defense. A few days afterwards the prisoners 
were delivered up to Gen. A. W. Doniphan; and forty-two stands 
of the firearms were also collected and delivered to him 

The mob took a number of the brethren prisoners, and sent 
word to Far West and other settlements that they were tortur- 
ing them in the most inhuman manner, by this means, doubtless, 
seeking to provtike the saints to some act of cruelty upon their 
enemies that might fall into their power, and thus give the mob 
an excuse for assaulting and driving the *'Morraon'' community 
from the State. 

All parts of the State were flooded with the falsehoods about 
**Mormon^' atrocities and cruelties — cruelties which never oc- 
curred. A bitter prejudice, however, w^as manufactured against 
the saints, and people generally believed the "Mormons" were 
capable of all the crimes known to hardened, sinful wretches; 
and that they were unfit to live. 

In the meantime, the militia Governor Boggs had ordered to 
be held in readiness,was mustered into service. Under the direction 
of Gen. Doniphan six companies of fifty men each were collected 
-and armed from the militia of Clay County, and at once marched 



204 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



into the Yicinity of Diahman. Here Doniphan found the citizens 
of Davieas and surrounding counties to the number of two or 
three hundred under arms, and commanded by Dr. Austin, from 
Carroll County* They claimed to have collected solely for the 
purpose of defending the people of Daviess County against the 
"Mormons/^ Doniphan read to them the order of his superior 
oflBcer, General Atchison, to disperse, but this they refused 
to do. 

'*I had an interview/' said Doniphan, "viith Dr. Austin, and 
his professions were all pacific. But they (Austin's men) still 
continued under arms, marching and cotinter marching." The 
general also visited the encampment of the brethren under the 
command of Colonel Lyman Wight. Doniphan's report says; 
"We held a conference with him, and he professed entire willing- 
ness to disband, and surrender up to me every one of the *Mor- 
mons' accused of crime; and required in return that the hostile 
forces collected by the other citizens of the county, should also 
disband." As they refused to obey the order to disband, the 
safety of the brethren and their families requbred that they 
should continue under arms; and General Doniphan took up a 
position between the two opposing forces, hoping that if the 
parties were kept apart, in a few days they would disband with- 
out coercion. 

In the course of two or three days General Atchison arrived 
with a body of militia from Ray County. He at once ordered 
the citizens from the surrounding counties to repair to their re- 
spective homes, a movement they began to make with many 
signs of reluctance. Only about one hundred of them obeyed 
the order» Atchison reported to Governor Boggs, that he had 
received assurance from the ''Mormons" that all those accused 
of a violation of the laws would be in for trial the very day on 
which his report was dated— the 17th of September, 1838. 
"And," says the report, *Vhen that is done, the troops under 
mv command will be no longer required in this county, if the 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



205 



citizens of other counties will retire to their respective homes," 
A day or two after this report, Atchison succeeded in dis- 
banding the mob forces; and the brethren against whom charges 
were trumped up appeared before a court of inquiry and entered 
into bonds to appear at the next session of the circuit court. 
This much having been accomplished, Atchison thought it no 
longer needful to keep his whole force of militia in the field, 
hence he dismissed all his forces except two companies, which 
were left in the vicinity, under the command of Brigadier-Gen- 
eral H. G. Parks. In reporting these latter movements to the 
governor, Atchison says in conclasion: 

The **Mormons" of Daviess County, aa I stated ia a former re- 
port, were encamped in a town called Adam-ondi-Ahman, and they 
are headed by Lyman Wight, a bold, brave, skillful, and I may add, a 
desperate man; they appear to be acting on the defensive, and I must 
further add, gave up the offenders with a good deal of promptness. 
The arras taken by the "Mormons" and the prisoners were also given 
up upon demand with cheerfulness. 

1 The forces, then, which had been called out by order of Gen- 
eral Atchison were disbanded, except the two companies that 
were left under the command of General Parks. Parks and 
these men remained in the vicinity of Diahman, watching both 
**Mormons" and Gentiles, assisting in serving civil process, and 
reporting occasionally to his superior officers. As these reports 
come from a source that is other than a '*Mormon" one, he is a 
witness to the uprightness of the acts of the **Mormon" people 
at that time of considerable importance; and this must be our 
excuse for inserting several extracts from his official reports. 
In a report which Parks made to Governor Boggs, on the 25th 
of September, occurs the following: 

Whatever may have been the disposition of the people called 
''Mormons" before our arrival here, since we have made our appear* 
ance, they have shown no disposition to resist the law or of hostile 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



intentions. There has been so mncb prejudice and exaggeration con- 
cerned in this matter, that I found thing3 entirely different from 
what 1 was prepared to expect. When we arrived here, we found a 
large body of men from the count lea adjoining, armed and in the 
field, for the purpose, as I learned, of aasisting the people of this 
county against the "Mormons,'^ without being called out by the proper 
authorities. 

In the meantime, a committee of old citizens had agreed 
to meet with a committee appointed by the saints in Daviess 
County, for the purpose of making arrangements for either buy- 
ing the property of the saints, or of selling theirs to the breth- 
ren. Speaking of this committee in a postscript to the above 
report, Parks says; "I received information that if the com- 
mittee do not agree, the determination of the Daviess County 
men is to drive the 'Mormons' with powder and lead." 

Two days later than the date of Parks* report, General 
Atchison wrote to the governor, saying: 

The force under General Parks is deemed sufficient to execute the 
laws and keep the peace in Daviess County. Things are not so bad 
in that county as represented by rumor, and in fact from affitlavits. 
I have no doubt your Excellency haa been deceived by the exagger- 
ated statements of designing or half crazy men, I have found thera 
is no cause of alarm on account of the '*Mormons;" they are not to be 
feared; they are very much alarmed. 

These statements, accompanied by the former statements 
of Atchison and Doniphan, which said the '"Mormons*^ were only 
acting on the defensive, and had surrendered the arms they had 
taken from the mob, together with the prisoners, with prompt- 
ness and cheerfulness, prove that the saints in collecting and 
arming were merely acting in self-defense, and not with any de- 
sire to outrage the law^s or injure the Missouri ana. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



207 



CHAPTER XXXVL 



DE WITT, 

DR. AUSTIN, of Carroll County, who had commanded the 
mob forces about Diahman, being compelled to disband 
his forces, at least part of them, he esteemed his force inaul- 
ficient to drive out the brethren from Diahman; so he conceived 
the idea of striking a blow in another quarter. In the south- 
east part of Carroll County, about Mty miles south-east of Par 
West, and near the point where Grand River empties into the 
Missouri, is the little settlement called De Witt. Here in the 
autumn of 1838, a number of the saints were located, quit« a 
number of whom had come from Ohio during the summer of 
1838, and were still camped in their wagons and tents. It 
was to this smaller and weaker settlement that the gallant (!) 
Dr, Austin lead the remainder of his mob forces, after aboiat 
one hundred of his original number had returned to their homes 
in obedience to the orders of General Atchison. 

At various times through the summer the mob had threatened 
the saints in and around De Witt, but it was not until the 20th 
of September that any serious demonstration of mob violence 
occurred. On that day about a hundred, perhaps a hundred and 
fifty men, rode into the settlement and threatened the people 
with death if they did not agree at once to leave the State, but 
after some deliberation, they gave them until the 1st of Octo- 
ber in which to make their departure. The action of the mob 
was promptly reported to the governor, and he was asked by 
the saints to take such steps as would put a stop to all lawless 
proceedings. The petition making this prayer was signed by 



208 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



over fifty of the brethren living at De Witt, but the governor 
gave no heed to their prayers for the suppression of lawless- 
ness. 

The saints at De Witt of course paid no attention to the 
demand of the mob made on the 20th of September^ that they 
leave the State by the first of October. So, on the 2nd of that 
month, early in the morning, about fifty men rode into De Witt 
and began firing upon the peaceful inhabitants of the place, 
Henry Root made out an affidavit to the foregoing effect, and at 
once went to General Parks with it, who was still in the vicinity 
of Diahman with his two companies of militia. Leaving Colonel 
Thompson in command at Diahman, General Parks at once or- 
dered two companies of militia under the command of Captains 
Bogart and Houston to arm and equip, as the law directed, with 
six days' provisions and fifty rounds of powder and ball. With 
these companies he marched for De Witt, Just before leaving 
he sent a messenger to a Colonel Jones, of Carroll County, to 
call out three companies of the militia and join him at Carroll- 
ton, the county seat of Carroll County, This order, however, 
was ignored. 

In his report to General Atchison, General Parks says that 
when he arrived at De Witt he found the place surrounded by 
Dr. Austin's men, to the number of some three hundred, pro- 
vided with a piece of artillery ready to attack the "Mormons" 
gathered in De Witt. But he expressed the opinion that the 
"Mormons" could beat Austin even if he had five hundred troops. 
In the meantime his own forces were mutinous, and refused to 
act against the mob; hence he had sent w^ord to General Doni- 
phan to raise companies from Platte, Clay, and Clinton counties, 
as he had no faith that troops ordered from Livingston and 
other counties would come. 

During the time that trouble was threatened at Diahman, 
which for the time was happily suppressed by General Atchison, 
Governor Bogga, in addition to the mihtia ordered out under 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



209 



AfccMson, Doniphan and Parks, had directed General S, D. Lucas, 
of the fourth division of the Missouri militia, to march with 
four hundred men to join General Atchison at Diahman, Orders 
similar in their nature were issued to Major-Generals Lewis 
Bolton, John B, Clark and Thomas D, Grant. But the success 
of General Atchison in scattering the mob forces about Diah- 
man led to the disbanding of the militia under the generals just 
named. 

This apparently was not relished at all by S, D. Lucas, who, 
it will be remembered, took an active part in connection with 
Governor Boggs against the saints in the Jackson County trou- 
bles. Hearing of the difficulty arising at De Witt, he thought 
I it another opportunity to strike a blow at the defenseless peo- 
ple he before had assisted in murdering and driving from their 
homes. He passed doi^n the Missouri River, near where De 
Witt was located, about the time the actual hostilities began 
there, and reported the situation to Governor Boggs, and in con- 
cluding his letter he says: 

If a fight has actually taken place, of which I have no doubt, it 
will create excitement in the whole of upper Missouri, and thoBe base 
and degraded beings (the '*Mormons'-) will be externainated from the 
face of the earth. * * * It is an unpleasant state of 
affairs. The remedy I do not pretend to suggest to yonr Excellency. 
My troops were only dismissed subject to further orders, and can be 
called into the field at an hour's warning. 

While Lucas pretended in the above not to suggest a rem- 
edy to the governor, he really does so, and plainly offers to 
carry out the plan. General Lucas says: 'Those base and de- 
graded beings (the saints) will be exterminated from the face of 
the earth," and then follows that statement up by saying that 
his troops, amounting to four hundred, had only been dismissed 
subject to further orders, and could be called out at an hour*s 
warning! This act on the part of Lucas was in reality a sug- 



210 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



gestion to Governor Boggs to exterminate the saints, and an 
offer on his part to do the job, if he only had orders to call out 
th6 men he had but a few days before disbanded. The circam- 
stance is the more significant since his covert suggestion was 
subsequently acted upon by Governor Boggs. 

The people of Chariton County were again asked to assist 
against the *'Monnons,'' this time to drive them from De Witt; 
and again the people of that county held a public meeting on the 
question, and sent a committee of two to inquire into the situ- 
ation and report. As their report is a complete vindication of 
the action of the saints in this instance, 1 make an extract 
from it: 

We arrived at the place of difficulties on the fourth of October, 
and found a large portion of the citizens of Carroll and adjoining 
counties assembled near De Witt well armed. We inquired into the 
nature of the difEtultfes. They said there was a large portion of the 
people called ''Mormons," embodied in De Witt, from different parts 
of the world. They are unwilling for them to remain there, which is 
the cause of their waging war against them. To use the gentleman*8 
language, they are waging a war of extermination, or to remove them 
from the aaid county. We also went into De Witt, to see the situa- 
tion of the '*Mormona," We found them in the act of defense beg- 
ging for peace, and wishing for the civil authorities to repair there 
and as early as possible settle the difficulties between the parties. 
Hostilities have commenced, and will contiiiiie until they are stopped 
by the civil authorities. 

As goon as word was brought to Joseph that the saints were 
shut up by mob forces in De Witt, he at once started for the 
scene of the trouble to allay, if possible, the excitement among 
the people. He had some difficulty in getting: there, as the mob 
had all the roads strongly guarded, and allowed neither ingress 
nor egress to the place they were actually besieging. But by 
going unfrequented roads and through the woods, he arrived at 
the besieged town, and found the saints surrounded by a host of 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



211 



their enemies, with their provisions nearly exhausted, and no 
prospects of obtaining more. 

The first thing Joseph did on his arrival was to talk with 
several gentlemen of respectability and of good standing in the 
neighborhood, and who were not connected with The Churcli, but 
who had witnessed the proceedings of the mob against the saints, 
and now offered to make affidavits respecting the treatment the 
saints had recei\^ed at the hands of the mob forces, and their 
present perilous situation; and further offered to send a mes- 
senger with these papers, and lay the case before the governor. 
Their proposition was gladly accepted. The affidavits were made 
out, and a Mr. Caldwell dispatched at once with them to the 
jfovernor. Instead of sending the people of De Witt any hope 
'relief, however, the governor said to Mr. Caldwell: 



The quarrd is betwem the '^Mormam' 
fight it out. 



and tke mt^^ <J»^ iheji can 



This was the death blow to all hopes that had been enter- 
tained of receiving relief from the governor when the case should 
be fairly presented to him. Following close upon this answer 
that was returned from the chief executive, General Parks sent 
word to the besieged saints, that his troops underCaptain Bogart 
had mutinied, and in order to prevent them joining the mob he 
was under the necessity of drawing them away. This act of 
course turned the people of De Witt over to the tender mercy of 
the mob led by Dr. Austin, Major Ashley, a member of the State 
legislature, and Sashiel Woods, a Presbyterian minister. 

The saints were hopelessly shut up in De Witt. If their 
stock wandered outside of the immediate settlement it was shot 
down by the mob; and if the people went to the outskirts in 
search of food, they too became the targets of their merciless 
enemies. Provisions were exhausted, and some of the brethren 
died of exhaustion and starvation, while all were worn out with 
constantly watching the movements of their enemies. In this 



212 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



extremity the saints were advised by some of the prominent non- 
**Moniion" citizens in the vicinity of De Witt to leave that 
county, and they would be paid for all their losses, Henry Root 
and David Thomas having secured a promise of the raob that if 
the '"Mormons" would leave DeWitt, they should not be molested 
while doing so. The saints were compelled to accept these 
terms, and a committee w^as appointed to appraise the property 
of the **Mormons." The names of two of this committee are all 
that have been preserved — Judge Erickson and Major Florey. 
The only property that was appraised, however, was the real 
estate; the personal property the saints had lost, and the stock 
that had been shot down by the mob and upon which they had 
fed, was not taken into account at all. 

The saints gathered up what teams and wagons they had 
left, and placing the sick, the aged and infirm, together with 
what personal property they could take with them, they left 
their fields and their homes in the hands of their enemies; and 
wended their slow way over the prairie in the direction of Par 
West. Ever and anon as they looked back with mournful glance 
in the direction of De Witt, they could see the smoke ascending 
heavenward from some of their burning homes. That was a 
dreary march to Far West. They were continually harassed by 
gangs of the mob who followed them, and others that they met 
in going to the appointed rendezvous in the vicinity of De Witt. 
Several brethren died on the way, and had to be buried wdthont 
cofiins, under the most sorrowful circumstances. One sister, 
who had not recovered from child-birth, through the exposure 
consequent upon being compelled to leave a comfortable home, 
died and w^as buried in a grave bordering the banks of a beauti- 
ful stream. The company arrived among their awe-stricken 
brethren and sisters at Far West on the 12th of October. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



213 



CHAPTER XXXYII. 



MILLPORT. 

NO soontir had the saints departed from De Witt than the 
Presbyterian preacher. Woods, called the mob that had 
infested that settlement together, and in a speech of frenzied 
hate he suggested that they proceed at once to Daviess County 
and assist their friends in driving the **Mormons" from their 
homes in that county, as they had already done in Carroll County. 
He assured them the ci\il authorities would not interfere to de- 
fend the "Mormons/* and they could get possession of their 
property just as well as not. He reminded them that the land 
sales would soon come off, and if they could but get rid of the 
"Mormons" they could secure all the lands they would want. To 
appreciate the force of this part of the preacher's ajjpeal to the 
mob. the reader must remember that the w^hole country was wild 
on land speculations, and that some of the saints were badly tinc- 
tured with it, as explained in a previous chapter. The speech 
had the desired effect, and forth\\ith the entire body with their 
cannon started for Daviess County. 

While these events were transpiring in Carroll County, Cor- 
nelius Gilliam, who, it will be remembered, called upon Zioa's 
Camp at Fishing Eiver several years before, had been engaged 
' in raising a mob in Platte and Clinton counties to accomplish 
the same object that Parson Woods and his mob had in view. 
General Doniphan learned of these movements, both on the part 
of Gilliam and Woods, and sent word to Joseph Smith that a body 
of eight hundred men were moving upon the settlement of his 
people in Daviess County. He gave orders for a company of 



214 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



militia to be raised at Far West and marched at once into Daviess 
County, to defend those who were threatened, mitil he could 
raise the militia in Clay and adjoining counties to put down the 
insurrection. Accordingly a company of one hundred militia- 
men were gotten in readiness to march into Daviess County. 
The command was given to Colonel Hinckle and he started for 
Diakm^n. 

After General Parks had left the vicinity of De Witt with 
his mutinous militia, he returned to Diahman, where he had left 
Colonel Thompson in command, and resumed control of affairs 
in that section. 

The mob about Diahman, hearing of the fate of De Witt, 
and learning of the approach of that mob and the efforts of Gil- 
liam in the same direction^ became bolder, and at once began to 
threaten the saints and burn some of their houses and stacks 
of hay and grain. These depredations were committed chiefly 
at a place called Millport, a short distance from Diahman. The 
house of Don Carlos Smith was burned down, after being plun- 
dered, and his wife with two helpless babes were driven out into 
the night* She made her way to Diahman, carrying her children 
and having to wade Grand River where the stream was waist 
deep. 

The next day General Parks passed the ruins of this house, 
belonging to Don Carlos Smith, who was then on a mission in 
Tennessee, and it seemed to arouse within him a just indignation. 
He at once went to the house of Lyman W'ight and gave him 
orders to call out his companies of militiamen— Wight holding a 
colonel's commission in the fifty-ninth regiment of the Missouri 
militia, commanded by General Parks — and gave him full author- 
ity to put down mobs wherever he should find them assembled. 
He said he wished it distinctly understood that Colonel Wight 
had full authority from him to suppress all mob violence. The 
militia that Colonel Wight called out was divided into two com- 
panies; one company, consisting of about sixty men, was placed 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 215 

under the command of Captain David Patten, and the other of 
about the same number was commanded by Wight in person. 

Captain Patten ^as ordered to go to Gallatin and disperse 
the mobs that were reported to be in that vicinity, while Wight 
and his company started for Millport. 

When Patten's company came in sight of Gallatin, he found 
a body of the mob, about one hundred strong, who were amusing 
themselves by mocking and in various ways tantalizing a num- 
ber of the saints whom they had captured. Seeing the approach 
of Patten's men, and knowing the determination of the leader, 
the mob broke and ran in the greatest confusion, leaving their 
prisoners behind them. 

On his march to Millport, Colonel Wight found the whole 
country deserted by the mob which had infested it, and their 
houses in flames or in smoldering ruins. The mob having learned 
that General Parks had ordered out Wight's companies of militia, 
was seized with sudden fear and swore vengeance, not only upon 
the "Mormons," but upon Generals Parks and Doniphan as well. 
To accomplish this purpose, they had loaded up their most valu- 
able personal effects and setting fire to their log huts, they sent 
runners throughout the State with the lying report that the 
"Mormons" had "riz" and were burning the houses, destroying 
property, and murdering the old settlers. 



216 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XXX\TIL 



CROOKEB RI\^R. 

THAT was a ciinniTig piece of diabolism which prompted the 
mob of Daviess County to set fire to their own huts, de- 
stroy their own property and then charge the crime to the sainst. 
It was an act worthy of an incipient Herod, But it was not with- 
out a precedent in Missouri. Two years before that, something 
very similar occurred in Mercer County, just north-east of Daviess, 
In June of the year 1836, the Iowa Indians, then living in St 
Joseph, made a friendly hunting excursion through the northern 
part of the state, and their line of travel led them through what 
was knowTi as the Heatherly settlement, in Mercer County. The 
Heatherlys, who were ruffians of the lowest type, took advantage 
of the excitement produced by the incursion of the Indians, and 
circulated a report that they w^ere robbing and killing the whites, 
and during the excitement these wTetches murdered a man by the 
name of Dunbar, and another man against whom they had a 
grudge, and then fled to the settlements along the Missouri 
River,representing that they w^ere fleeing for their lives. This pro- 
duced great excitement in the settlements in the surrounding 
counties; the people not knowing at what hour the Indians might 
be upon them. The militia was called out for their protection; 
but it was soon ascertained that the alarm w^as a false one. The 
Heatherlys were arrested, tried for murder, and some of them 
sent to the penitentiary. 

This circumstance occumng only two years before, and in 
a county adjacent to Daviess County, doubtless suggested the 
course pursued by the mob in burning their owm houses — chiefly 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



217 



built of logs — and fleeing to all parts of the State with the re- 
port that the "MormoBs" had done it, and were murdeiing and 
plundering the old settlers. These fs^lse rumors spread by the 
mob, were strengthened in the public ear by such men as Adam 
Black, Judge King of Richmond, and other prominent men who 
were continually writing inflammatory communications to the gov- 
ernor. The citizens of Ray County called a public meeting and 
appealed to the governor to protect the people of upper Mis- 
souri from the ^^Mormons," whom they termed a "fearful body 
of thieves and robbers," It seemed as If the very prince of lies 
and all his hosts had suddenly broken loose, and sought to over- 
whelm the saints with a flood of falsehood. It was at this par- 
ticular crisis that Thomas B, Marsh, the president of the Twelve 
Apostles, and Orson Hyde, one of the members of the same 
quorum, fled to Richmond and there testified to the most wicked 
falsehoods, calculated to bring destruction upon their former 
brethren. Thomas B. Marsh made an affidavit before Henry 
Jacobs, a justice of the peace, at Richmond, of which the follow- 
ing is an extract: 

They have among them {the "Mormons") a company consisting of 
afl that are considered true **Mormons," called Danites, who have taken 
an oath to support the heads of The Church in all things, whether right 
or wrong. I have heard the Prophet say that he wonld yet tread 
down his enemies, and walk over their dead bodies; that, if he was 
not let alone, he would be a second Mohammed to this generation, and 
that he would make it one gore of blood from the Rocky Moun- 
tains to the Atlantic Ocean, 

To this Marsh swore, and Hyde corroborated by affidavit, 
saying that he knew part of it to be true, and he believed the 
other.* 



* It may be as well to say here that some time after this, when the 
clouds of hatred that at this time threatened the saints with destruc- 

74 



218 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



Since in this statement made by Thomas B. Marsh and Orson 
Hyde the **Danites" are spoken of, and as miich has been said of 
this organization, and many false statements made over and over 
again, accusing The Church of having such an association as de- 
scribed by Marsh and Hyde, I here give in brief an account of 
that organization so far as The Church knows anything in re- 
lation to it. 

A Doctor Sampson Avard joined The Church a short time 
previous to the apostasy of Marsh and Hyde. He was one of 
those restless, ambitious men who desire to become great, and 
lord it over their fellow men. Possessing neither the intelli- 
gence nor the ir.tegrity to rise to positions of honor and 
trust in The Church by open, fair means, he resolved to become 



tion had drifted aside, and tliese men had time to reflect upon the ter- 
rible -wickedness of their action, Orson Hyde, in tears, came back 
to the people he sought to destroy, and humbly begged to he re- 
stored to his position. And having manifested a spirit of repentance, 
he was received back into his place, went on a mission to Jerusalem, 
and for many years labored faithfully for the advancement of The 
Church, Thomas B. Marsh, after leading a vagabond life for years, 
with the brand of Judas upon his brow, and the gnawing of the worm 
that never dies at his heart, when the saints had weathered the storms 
of persecution not only in MivSsouri but also in Illinois as well, and 
their lives had fallen in the pleasant valleys of the Rocky Mountains, 
he too, a mere wreck of his former self» weak and driveling and child- 
ish; broken down in health and spirits, came humbly bending to the 
people upon whom he had sought to bring ruin, and begged — humbly 
begged, the privilege of ending his days in their midst. He arose in 
a congregation where thousands were congregated, referred to his 
wrecked condition, and told them it was the efifect of apostasy, and 
warned all against walking in the path which he had trod to his in- 
finite sorrow. His life furnishes a sad page in the history of the Lat- 
ter-day Saints, He fell as Judas fell, and as Judas failed to stay the 
work of God in his day, so Marsh failed to break down God's work in 
these last days: he succeeded only in bringing upon himself the ruin 
am3 shame be tried to bring upon The Church. 



THE MISSOUEI PERSECUTIONS. 



219 



a leader by craft and villainy. He employed the art of flattery 
in his coBversations with the brethren, appointed frequent meet- 
ings at his own house which was guarded by one or more of his 
trusted associates, who would give him a sign if any one ap- 
proached whom he had not trusted. With an air of mystery he 
would intimate that he had been appointed by the heads of The 
Church to accomplish some important work of a secret char- 
acter, and at last put those whom he had won by his flattery, 
under an oath of eteraal secrecy, not to reveal anything that he 
should communicate to them. 

By these means he continued to enlarge his hand, which he 
named The Danites, claiming of course that it was a very an- 
cient order or society. He gave to them certain secret signs by 
which members of the band could recognize each other either 
day or night. He gave them to undei-stand that he had author- 
ity from the heads of The Church for what he was about to do. 
He then proceeded to organize his men into companies of tens 
and fifties, placing a captain over each. Up to this time Avard 
had never intimated that anything unlawful or contrary to the 
spirit of the gospel was to be carried out. But now that he had 
the companies organized and all under an oath of secrecy, he 
thought he could mill safety let the mask fall. After instruct- 
ing the men as to w^hat their duties were under their several 
captains, he took the captains into a secluded place and there 
told them they would soon be permitted to go among the Gentiles 
and take their property as spoil, and by robbing and plundering 
the Gentiles, they were to waste them away and with the prop- 
erty thus confiscated build up the Kingdom of God. If any of 
the band were recognized by their enemies, * who could harm 
them?" he asked: "for," said he, '*we will stand by each other, 
and defend one another in afl things. If our enemies swear 
against us, we can swear also." At this point some of the 
brethren expressed surprise, in fact, astonishment. But Avard 
continued by saying: 



220 



THE MiaSOUai PERSECUTIONS. 



As the Lord livetli I would swear to a lie to clear any of you; and 
if this would not do» I would pat tbem or him under the aand as Moses 
did the Egyptian. ♦ ♦ • ^^^j jf g^y ^f ^g transgress, 
we will deal with him amongst onrselres. And if any one of this 
Danite society reveals any of these things, I will pnt him where the 
dogs cannot bite him. 

This lecture of the doctor's revealed for the first time the 
true intent of his designs, and the brethren he had duped sud- 
denly had their eyes opened, and they at once revolted and man- 
fully rejected his teachings. Avard saw that he had played and 
lost, so he said they had better let the matter drop where it was. 
As soon as Avard's villainy was brought to the knowledge of the 
president of The Church he was promptly excommunicated, and 
was afterwards found making an effort to become friends with 
the mob, and conspiring against The Church. 

This is the history of the Danite band, *^which," says the 
Prophet Joseph, "died almost before it had an existence/' 

And now I return to the main line of ray narrative. Cap- 
tain Bogart, who, it will be remembered, held a command in the 
militia under General Parks, both in the operations about Diah- 
man and before De Witt, and who on one occasion manifested a 
determination to mutiny and join the mob, was one of the bit- 
terest enemies the saints had, and the most active of the mob. 
On the twenty-fourth of October, 1838, he, with about forty of 
his followers, called at the house of a Brother Thoret Parsons 
who lived on the east branch of Log Creek southeast of Far 
West. He warned Parsons to leave by ten o'clock the next day 
and remarked that he expected to give Far West "helF* before 
noon the next day; provided he was successful in joining his 
forces vdth those of Niel Gilliam who would camp that night 
six miles west of Far West, and that he himself should camp 
that night on Crooked River. A messenger was dispatched at 
once with this information to Far West, and Parsons followed 
the mob to w^atch their movements. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



221 



The day on which this occurred Joseph Holbrook* and a 
Brother Judith were watching the movements of a small de- 
tachment of Bogart's men, and saw eight of them enter the 
house of a Brother Pinkham, where they took three prisoners 
and four horses, together with some arms and food; and warned 
the old gentleman Pinkham to leave the State at once or they 
"would have his d— d old scalp/' This detachment then started 
to join Bogart's main company, and Holbrook and Judith started 
for Far West. They arrived there near midnight and reported 
what they had seen in the vicinity of the mob's encampment. 
The blast of the trumpet and the roll of the drum soon brought 
together a large crowd of men to the public square. Men slept 
very lightly in those days, as they had to be constantly on hand 
to repel the attacks of their enemies. The men had been as- 
sembled by order of Judge Higbee, and he lequested Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Hinkle to raise a cumpany to disperse the mob, and 
rescue the prisoners. Volunteers were called for, arid in a few 
minutes seventy-five men had answered the call and were placed 
under the command of David W. Patten, who it will be remem- 
bered held a captain's commission in the state militia. He was 
also a member of the quorum of the Twelve. 

The company marched out some distance from Far West, 
where it halted, and the body was divided into three divisions, 
the commands of which were given to David W. Patten, James 
Durphy, and Charles C. Rich, the whole being under the direction 
of David W. Patten. The march to the scene of action is thus 
described by one of the company: 

The night was dark, the distant plains far and near were illumi- 
nated with blazing firea^ immense columnB of smoke were seen rising 
in awful majesty, as if the world was on fire. This scene of grandeur 
can only be comprehended by those acquainted with sceoes of prairie 
burning, as the fire sweeps over millions of acres of dry grass in the 



* This was Judge Holbrook, late of Bountiful, Davis County, Utah-j 



222 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



fall season, and leaves a smooth, black sarface divested of all vegeta- 
tion. The thousand meteors blazing in the distance like the camp fires oi 
some war hosts, threw a fitful gleam of light ypon the distant sky, 
which many might have taken for the Aurora Borealis. This scene, 
added to the silence of midnight, the rumbling sounda of the tramp- 
ling steeds over the hard surface of the plain, the clank of the swords- 
in their scabbards, the occasional gleam of bright armor in the flick- 
ering firelight, the gloom of surrounding darkness, and the unknown 
destiny of the expedition, or even the people who sent it forth; all 
com billed to impress the mind with deep and solemn thoughts, and to 
throw a romantic vision over the imagination, which is not often ex- 
perienced except in the poet's dreams, or in the wild imagery of sleep- 
ing fancy * 

The mob were encamped in a bend of Crooked River near 
the line of Caldw^ell and Fiay counties, and I should judge all 
of fifteen miles directly south of Far West. The stream here 
lies imbedded in a deep ravine, in fact tMs may be said of all 
the streams in this part of Missouri. There has been but little 
disturbance of the earth's crust in tliis locality, and tlie streams, 
having run in their present courpe for ages, perhaps ever since 
our Father Adam and the patriarchs dwelt in the land, have 
worn their channels deep. At any rate, at the place where the 
mob was camped, and which old settlers pointed out to me as 
**Bogart's Battle Fields" the stream lies in the bottom of a deep 
ra\ine, the sides of which are quite steep and covered with a 
heavy growth of underbrush and timber. A dugway road has 
been cut on the north side of the ravine leading down to a point 
where the stream is fordable. It is just above this ford where 
Bogart and his men were encamped in a little bottom immedi- 
ately on the bank of the river. 

When the brethren from Far West were within two or 
three miles of this encampment they dismounted, and, leaving 



* Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ch. ai. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



223 



their horsea in the care of a part of their company, the rest 
proceeded on foot to the brow of the hill under which the mob 
was encamped. It must be remembered that Captain Patten 
did not know the exact locality of the mob, but aupposed they 
had camped somewhere about the ford of the river. Near the 
brow of the hill the companies separated, Patten's division go- 
ing to the right, Rich's to the left, and Durphy's between them. 
They were proceeding along silently when suddenly the stillness 
was broken by some one exclaiioing, "Who comes there?*' followed 
instantly by the sharp report of a rifle, and a young man of the 
name of Patrick O^Banion reeled from the ranks and fell, mor- 
tally wounded. Captain Patten ordered a charge down the hill- 
side upon the mob below, which was promptly obeyed. The 
mob left their encampment and formed in a line under the bank 
of the river. Patten's men formed in a line facing them, ajid 
the mob opened fire, which was promptly answered by the 
brethren and then followed a moment's silence, which was broken 
by C. C* Rich calling the watchwords: 

'Xrod and Liberty J' 

Patten ordered a second charge upon the enemy and then the 
fight was hand to hand. The fight, however, was but of short dura- 
tion; the mob soon began leaping into the stream and making for 
the other side. 

The late Judge Holbrook of Davis County, Utah, was struck 
at by a fierce Missourian with a sword, but by throwing up bis 
left arm he saved his head, and before the mobber conld recover 
himself the judge had cut him down. Two of the hindmost men 
of the mob were pursued by Captains Patten and Rich* The 
one followed by Patten suddenly wheeled round and shot him in 
the bowels, and he fell mortally wounded. Gideon Carter's face was 
so literally shot to pieces that he was almost beyond recognition. 
Several others were wounded in this engagement, about nine, I 
think, but they recovered. The mob had the advantage of posi- 
tion in the engagement, as they formed under the bank of the 



224 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



river, which answered all the purposes of a hreastwork. It will 
be remembered too that it was not yet daylight — the dawn was 
only just breaking in the east when the fight began. The mob 
in their flight left their horses and all their camp utensils. 
These the victors took charge of, and making litters on which 
to carry their wounded and dying, they started on the return to 
Far West. Several miles from Far West the mournful train 
was met by a number of the brethren, among whom was the 
Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum and the wife of Captain 
Patten. Tender hands had carried him on a litter from the bat. 
tie field, but he suffered excruciating pains and asked to be laid 
down by the wayside that he might die. He was taken to the 
house of a Brother Winchester about three miles from Far West, 
where he died that night. 

I need not dwell upon the heartrending sorrow of the 
wife at the loss of a noble husband, or the grief of the whole 
people who mourned the departure of a great and good man, 
and one of the leading spirits in these last days. He died full 
of faith, having done as he often said he would do, if need 
were — lay down his life for his friends. Just before he breathed 
Ma last he said to his grief-stricken wife, ** Whatever you do 
else, 0, do not deny the faith !*^ 

Young O'Banion died shortly afterwards, and they were 
buried together with miUtary honors. The body of Gideon Car- 
ter was afterguards brought up from the battle ground, and in- 
terred at Far West, The loss of the mob has never been cor- 
rectly ascertained, but at the time they scattered before the 
impetuous charge of Patten's men, each one supposed he was 
the only survivor left to tell the tale of the mob's destruction. 

This battle on Crooked Kiver, though perfectly justifiable 
on the part of the saints^ was made the excuse for raising 
armies against them for their destruction. The following inflam- 
matory and untinjthfnl message was sent to the governor as a 
report of what we have already related: 



THE MISSOUBI PERSECUTIONS, 



225 



Sir: — We were informed last night by an express from Ray 
County, that Captain Bogart and all his company^ amounting to be- 
tween fifty and sixty men, were massacred at Buncombe, twelve miles 
north of Richmond, except three. This statement you may rely on 
as being true, and last night they expected Richmond to be laid in 
ashes this morning. We could distinctly hear cannon, and we knew 
the "Mormons" had one in tbeir possession. Richmond is about 
twenty-five miles west of this place, on a straight line. We know 
not the hour or minute we shall be laid in ashes — our county is ruined 
— for God's sake give us assistance as soon as possible. 

Yours, etc., 

Sashiel Woods, 
Joseph Dickson. 



Woods will be remembered as the Presbyterian preacher 
who, after the saints were compelled to leave De Witt, called 
the mob which had infested that place and urged them to hasten 
to the assistance of their friends in Daviess County, to drive 
the "Mormons" away from their settlement at Diahman, that 
they might gain possession of their lands. These men say they 
distinctly heard cannon and they knew the "Mormons" had one. 
Yet these men were thirty-seven miles from where the engage- 
ment on Crooked River occurred, and no cannon was used^and 
the one in possession of the saints was only a six-pounder. 
'These mobbers," said Joseph, *'must have had very acute ears; 
* * * so much for the lies of a priest of this world." 

One of Bogart's men fled to Richmond and reported that 
ten of his comrades had been killed and the rest taken prisoners 
after many of them had been wounded; and he said it was the in- 
tention of the "Mormon banditti" that night to sack and bum 
Richmond. Upon the reception of this lying report C. R. 
Morehead was dispatched from Richmond to Lexington, a to^^n 
located on the south bank of the Missouri on the high bluffs 
overlooking the river, and only about eight miles south of Rich- 
mond. He begged the people of that town to come to the as- 



226 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



Biatance of Richmond, and they responded by sending one hun- 
dred well armed, and according to E. M. Ryland, "daring men, 
the most effective onr county can boast of." An express was 
sent from Lexington to Messrs. Amos Rees and Wiley C. Wil- 
liams of Jackson County, then en roiite for the city of Jeffer- 
son, ordering them to hurry on to the city of Jefferson, im- 
parting correct (?) information to the public as they went along; 
and to send one of their party into Cooper, Howard and Boone 
counties in order that volunteers might be getting ready to 
flock to the scene of trouble as soon as possible. The letter 
said: **They [the volunteers before alluded to] must make haste 
and put a stop to the devastation which is menaced by these in- 
furiated fanatics, and they must go prepared^ and with aJvZl de- 
termimitioji to exterminate or expel them from the State en m^isse.^* 
The italics are mine, and I use them because it was upon 
the strength of this message that Governor Buggs afterwards 
issued his celebrated exterminating order. And I pause here to 
call attention to the fact that these men, Wiley C, Williams and 
Amos Rees had started for Jefferson City as special messengers- 
to the governor to secure the banishment of the saints from the 
State of Missouri. These untruthful reports of the trouble on 
Crooked River were favorable to their cause, and an express 
was sent after them to add this falsehood to those with which 
they were already laden, and to wish them "God speed" in their 
murderous affairs! We need not say the * 'Mormons" had not so 
much as thought of going to Richmond, or acting otherwise 
than on the defensive. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



22T 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



EXTERMIKATING ORDER OF GOVERNOR BOGGS. 



IN the meantime the messengers from those parties who had 
btimed their own homes and destroyed their own property 
at Millport had reached Jefferson City, and poured into the will- 
ing ears of the executive the villainous falsehoods that the 
"Mormons" with an armed force had expelled the old settlers 
from Daviess County, pillaged and burned their dwellings, driven 
off their stock, and destroyed their crops. They also said that 
Millport and Gallatin were in ashes, and that all the records of 
the county were destroyed. Upon the reception of this batch 
of falsehoods and an application from these people to be re- 
stored to their homes and protected in them, Governor Boggs 
set himself vigorously at work calling out militia forces to ac- 
complish this object. 

One can. not help pausing a moment to notice the differ- 
ence in the action of the State authorities in two cases that 
would have been just alike, provided the report of those parties 
who fled from Daviess County, by the li^ht of their burning 
homes, had been true. In 1833 the saints w^ere driven by brute 
force and under circumstances the most distressing, from their 
possessions in Jackson County. And not only w^as their prop- 
erty destroyed, but quite a number of them were killed, while 
the number that was exiled amounted to twelve hundred. The 
State authorities had the fullest evidence of these outrages — in 
fact the very man who at the time of the Daviess County 
troubles w^as governor of the State, was on the ground and 
knew of all the circumstances of cruelty and outrage. But 



228 



TBIE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



when those things came before the State authorities, it took 
more than two whole years of correspondeBce to come to an un- 
derstanding of what could and should be done, and then the de- 
cision was that the exiles would do well to move still further 
on, in fact, ^et entirely away from that section of the country 
where they had made their homes, as the prejudices of 
the people were set against them, and the popular sentiment 
in this country was vox Dei! But now, wiien a mere rumor 
cornea that the **Mormons'^ have been guilty of inflicting upon 
the Missourians the outrages w^hich aforetime had been perpe- 
trated against them, there is no halting on the part of the 
authoritieSjbut on the contrary the most vigorous elTorts are put 
forth to punish the reputed offenders, and reinstate the sup- 
posed exiles! 

Governor Boggs, then, began his efforts to restore these 
reputed exiles to their homes. He sent an order to General John 
B. Clark, of the first division of Missouri militia, directing him 
to raise two thousand men from the first, fourth, fifth, sixth 
and twelfth divisions of the militia to be mounted and armed as 
the law directs, provided with rations for fifteen days, and to 
rendezvous at Fayette in Howard County, about eighty miles 
southeast of Far West, hy the third of November. 

This order was dated the twenty-sixth of October, 1838. 
The next day, however, Amos Rees and Wiley C. Williams ar- 
rived in Jefferson City with their false report of the battle on 
Crooked River, and Governor Boggs changed his orders to Gen- 
eral Clark the same day. This letter is Hoggs* exterminating 
order. He said to General Clark: 

Since the order of the morning to you, « # * j 

have received by Amos Reea, Esq., and Wiley C. Williams, one of my 
aids, information of the most appalling character^ which changes the 
whole face of things and places the "Mormons'' in the attitude of open 
and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made open war upon 
the people of this State. Your orders are, therefore, to hasten your 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 229 

operations and endeavor to reach Richmond, in Ray County, with all 
possible speed. The "Mormons" must be treated as enemies and must 
he exterminated or driven from the State, if necessary for the public 
good. Their outrages are beyond description. If you can increase 
your force, you are authorized to do so to any extent you may think 
necessary. 

The governor also ordered Major General Wallock of Mar- 
ion County, to raise five hundred men, and join General Doni- 
phan of Clay County, who had been directed to raise a like num- 
ber of men, and together they were to proceed tt Daviess 
County to cut off the retreat of the "Mormons" to the north. 
General Parks had been ordered to raise four hundred men and 
join Clark at Richmond, and thus the campaign was planned. 
The troops were not to reinstate the supposed exiles of Daviess 
County in their homes and protect them, but they were to oper- 
ate directly against the "Mormons" — in fact, make war upon 
them — exterminate them, or drive them from the State. 

Up to this time Major General Atchison had apparently ex- 
ercised his influence counseling moderation in dealing with the 
"Mormons." He was a resident of Clay County when the saints 
were driven into that county from Jackson. He, with General 
Doniphan and Amos Rees, had acted as counsel for the exiles, 
and had seen the doors of the temples of justice closed in their 
faces by mob violence, and all redress denied them. He was ac- 
quainted with the circumstances which led to their removal 
from Clay County, to the unsettled prairies of what afterwards 
became Caldwell County. He knew how deep and unreasonable 
the prejudices were against the saints. Can it be possible that 
he did not know how utterly unjustifiable the present move- 
ment against them was? Whether he was blinded by the false 
reports about Millport and Gallatin and Crooked River, or 
whether his courage faltered, and he became afraid longer to de- 
fend a people against whom every man's hand was raised, I can- 



-230 THE BOSSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

not now determine, but. one or the other must have been the case 
for I find him joining with S. D. Lucas in the following com- 
munication to Governor Boggs: 

Sir: — From late outrages committed by the "Mormons," civil 
" war is inevitable. They have set the laws of the country at defiance 
and are in open rebellion. We have about two thousand men under 
arms to keep them in check. The presence of the commander in 
chief is deemed absolutely necessary, and we most respectfully urge 
that your excellency be at the seat of war as soon as possible. 
# Your most obedient, etc. 

David R. Atchison, M. G. 3rd Div. 
Samuel D. Lucas, M. G. 4th Div. 

General Atchison, however, was afterwards "dismounted,'' 
to use a word of General Doniphan's in relating the incident, 
and sent back to Liberty in Clay County by special order of 
Governor Boggs, on the ground that he was inclined to be too 
merciful to the "Mormons." So that he was not active in the 
operations about Far West. But how he could consent to join 
with Lucas in sending such an untruthful and infamous report 
to the governor about the situation in upper Missouri, is diflS.- 
cult to determine. The saints had not set the laws at defiance, 
nor were they in open rebellion. But when all the officers of 
the law refused to hear their complaints, and both civil and 
military authority delivered them into the hands of merciless 
mobs to be plundered and outraged at their brutal pleasure, and 
all petitions for protection at the hands of the governor had 
been answered with: '*It is a quarrel between the Mormons and 
the mob, and they must fight it out,^^ what was left for them to do 
but to arm themselves and stand in defense of their homes and 
families? It is not admitted in the above that the saints had de- 
fied the laws of the country, for it was not so. The movement on 
Gallatin by Captain Patten and that on Millport by Colonel Wight 
was ordered by General Parks, who called upon Colonel Wight 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 231 

to take command of his company of men, when the militia under 
Parks' command mutinied, and disperse all mobs wherever he 
found them. Gallatin was not burned, nor were the records of 
the county court, if they were destroyed at all, destroyed by the 
saints. What houses were burned in Millport had been set on 
fire by the mob. The expedition to Crooked River was ordered 
by Judge Higbee, the first judge in Caldwell County and the 
highest civil authority in Far West, and was undertaken for 
the purpose of dispersing a mob which had entered the house of 
a peaceable citizen — one Pinkham — and carried off three people 
prisoners, four horses and other property, and who had threat- 
ened to "give Far West hell before noon the next day." So 
that in their operations the acts of the saints had been strictly 
within the law, and only in self defense. 



232 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XL. 
haun's mill. 

THE mob forces were gathering from all quarters to destroy 
Far West. Niel Gilliam was in the west urging the citi- 
zens to drive the "Mormons" from the State. Generals Lucas 
and Wilson, who will be remembered as active leaders of the 
mob which expelled the saints from Jackson County, were col- 
lecting those same mob forces; while General Clark was in the 
south raising companies of men to carry out the exterminating 
order of Governor Boggs. 

In addition to these preparations for the destruction of the 
saints, in the counties immediately surrounding Caldwell, there 
was a general uprising of the old settlers under no particular 
leadership, but roaming through the scattered settlements of the 
saints in small bands, murdering, stealing stock, house-burning, 
whipping the men and driving the terror-stricken women and 
children from their homes. In fact, the whole country surround- 
ing Far West was infested with a merciless banditti, which daily 
were guilty of the most atrocious deeds of cruelty. The saints 
living in a scattered condition over the prairies who were for- 
tunate enough to escape with their lives, came running into Far 
West at all times of the day and night, white with fear. Let it 
here be said that the Prophet Joseph had counseled his people 
to settle in villages, and have their farms on the outskirts there- 
of, after the pattern, as far as circumstances would permit, of 
the plan given by revelation for building up the city of Zion, de- 
scribed in a former chapter of this volume. He had urged, in 
addition to the improved opportunities this plan would give them 



THE MISSOUEI PERSECUTIONS. 



233 



for educating their children, etc., that they would be in a better 
condition to defend themselves against their enemies. But the 
saints, at least many of them, would not hearken to this advice; 
now, however, that the enemy w^aa upon them, when it was too 
late for them to profit by it, they could see the wisdom of it. 

It was one of these marauding bands, under the leadership 
of Nehemiah Corastock, which was guilty of a fiendish massacre 
at Haun's Mill, on the thirtieth of October. Haun's Mill was 
betiveen ten and twelve miles nearly due east of Far West, on 
the south hank of Shoal Creek, w^hich takes a meandering course, 
though in the main flowing east, and finally empties into Grand 
River, All told there were about thirty families of the saints 
located at Haun's Mill, several of which had just recently arrived 
from the eastern states, and were camped in their wagons and 
tents behind an old blacksmith's shop adjacent to the mill. The 
banks of the stream were lined with a growth of scattered trees 
and an undergrowth of hazel and other brush; while back from 
the banks is the rather sharp rolling prairie common to that 
part of Missouri. 

This little body of saints had been threatened by mobs for 
some time and were therefore on their guard. On the tiventy- 
eighth of October, however, Colonel Jennings, of Livingston 
County, whose band of mobbers had been most menacing to the 
peace and safety of the saints, sent one of his men to the settle- 
ment to make a treaty of peace. This proposition of peace was 
gladly accepted by the saints, in fact, it was what they most 
devoutly prayed for. There was to be mutual forbearance, and 
each party was to exert itself to the extent of its influence to 
prevent further hostilities. There were other mobs collecting 
in the vicinity, however, who were not affected by this agree- 
ment of peace entered into by the saints and Colonel Livingston 
— one particularly on Grand Rivgr» at William Mann's residence. 
Hence the brethren in the little settlement on Shoa! Creek re- 
mained under arms. 

IS 



234 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



The thirtieth of October, the day on which the fearful 
tragedy occurred, Is said by some of the survivors to hate been 
a most beautiful one: one of those days in mid-autumn^ when 
smoky miBts hang about the horizon^the sure sign of the 
Indian summer; when the sun shines with all the brightness, but 
without the scorching heat, of August; when the gentle breeze 
rustles through the ripened corn and softly stirs the leaves of 
the forests that have been kissed by the early frosts and 
autumn sun to purple and gold, and all the shades and tints 
know^Ti to the practiced eye of the artist; when the sinking sun 
paints the heavens with new glories; and when hill and plain, 
stream and sky, forest and field all reflect the fullness of 
nature's beauties, Oh, is it not passing strange that one of 
God's fairest days should be made to look upon so foul a deed 
as that committed at Haun's Mill! The merry laughter of the 
children as they played upon the banks of Shoal Creek, mingled 
with the snatches of songs the mothers sang as they went about 
their domestic employments, made sweet music to the fathers 
engaged in gathering the crops, or guarding the mill 

In their neighborhood all apparently was peace, and no 
premonitory shuddering warned the saints of their approaching 
fate. It burst upon them with all the suddenness of a clap of 
thunder from a cloudless sky. The sun had sunken more than 
halfway down the western sky, when some of those on guard 
saw a large body of armed and mounted men approaching the 
mill at full speed. They came through the scattering timber 
on the bank of the creek to the edge of the prairie, where they 
formed themselves in a three square position with a vanguard. 
David Evans ran out to meet them, swinging his hat and cry- 
ing, *'Peace! Peace!" 

But there was no peace. 

The saints by this time were in the wildest state of excite- 
ment, and running in every direction, many of the men taking 
refuge in an old blacksmith shop not far from the mill. The 



THE MISSOUKI PERSECUTIONS. 



235 



leader of the mobj immbering two hundred and forty, fired his 
gun, and after a pause of a few seconds ahoiit a hundred shots 
were fired into the old blacksmith shop, and at those fleeing for 
the protection of the woods. The inob then rode up to the 
shop and fired through the space between the logs until, as they 
thought, all had been killed or mortally wonnded. They thee 
entered, and among the dead and dpng found Sardius Smith, a 
lad about twelve years old, who in his fear had crawled under 
the bellows for safety. He was dragged from his place of con- 
cealment by a Mr. Glaze, who placed the muzzle of his gun near 
the boy's head and literally shot off the top of it. The inhuman 
wretch aftenvards shamelessly boasted of hia damning deed. 
His brother, Alma, a boy of eight summers, was shot through 
the hip. He had seen his father and brother shot down, and 
fearing if he moved the heartless wretches would shoot him 
again, he remained quiet among the dead until he heard the 
voice of his mother gently calling his name in the darkness* 
She nursed him tenderly, prayerfully, and under the inspiration of 
heaven made such a collection of herbs and harks with which 
she dressed his wound that he recovered, grew to manhood, 
lived to a reasonably good old age, and lately died at Coalville, 
Summit County, Utah. 

Thomas McBride, an oM gray haired veteran of the Ameri- 
can Revolution, was met by a number of the mob in front of 
Mr. Haun's house. The old man, trembling with age rather 
than from fear, surrendered his gun, saying: "Spare my life, I 
am a Revolutionary soldier." But the inhuman wretch to whom 
he made this simple, pathetic appeal, sufliicient to have moved 
adamantine hearts, shot the veteran down with his own gun, 
and then a Mr. Rogers, of Daviess County, fell upon him and 
hacked him to pieces with an old com cutter. And there lay 
the veteran soldier of the Revolution, covered with a score of 
unsightly wounds, either of which alone had been fatal^his 
brains oozing from his cracked skull and his white hairs crim- 



236 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



soned with his gore! Oh, a hard fate to overtake one of that 
noble band, who gave the hest years of his hfe to his country's 
service, that liberty might survive oppression! 

As night drew her sable mantle over the ghastly scene 
about Haun's Mill, those who had escaped to the woods returned 
to learn the fate of their friends, I need not dwell upon the 
horrors of that awful night in which wives with bursting hearts 
sought for their husbands, and mothers searched for their sons 
among the irangled bodies of the dead. Nor need I pause to 
relate in detail the sights revealed by the morning light. 
According to the statement of the leaders of the mob» they had 
fired seven rounds each, making in all some sixteen hundred 
shots fired at a company in which there were not more tban 
thirty men. Nineteen of the men and boys were killed outright 
in this inhuman butchery, and some twelve to fifteen were 
wounded more or less severely. The few men who escaped 
with their lives^ the following day carried the bodies of the 
slain to an old vault which had been dug for a well, and there 
the butchered were interred in haste, as those performing these 
sad offices were under fear every moment that the mob would 
return to massacre the survivors of the tragedy of the day 
before. 

This Haun's Mill butchery may very properly he regarded 
as the first fruits of Governor Boggs' exterminating order. On 
the twenty-eighth of October, Colonel Jennings, of Livingston 
County, had entered into a treaty of peace with the saints at 
Haun's Mill, and each party agreed to use whatever of influence 
it possessed for peace; and while we cannot learn whether that 
same colonel was in the company which did the killing or not, 
still it is known that a few days after the massacre, he, in 
company with other leading men in upper Missouri, among 
whom was Mr. Ashby, member of the State legislature from 
Chariton, went about threatening the hves of the survivors, 
stealing their property, laying wante their crops and running off 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 237 

their stock. My own view of the circumstances is that after 
the treaty of peace entered into on the twenty-eighth, Colonel 
Jennings' men, with other mob forces, heard of the exterminat- 
ing order of Governor Boggs, and gathered together under the 
leadership of Comstock and undertook to carry out the mon- 
strous edict that was worthy only of a Nero, a Caligula, or a 
Domitian. 



238 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THE BETRAYAL OP PAR WEST. 

IN the meantime the mob forces, called "the governor's troops," 
had gathered about Far West to the number of two thou- 
sand two hundred men, armed and equipped for war. The main 
body of these forces had marched from Richmond under the 
command of Major General Samuel D. Lucas, starting on the 
29th of October. The following day he was joined by the 
forces of General Doniphan at the ford of Log Creek, not far 
from Far West. Here they received the exterminating order of 
Governor Boggs. This order made no provisions for the protec- 
tion of the innocent, the **Mormons" were either to be extermi- 
nated or driven from the State, regardless of their guilt or inno- 
cence as individuals. 

On the morning of the 30th, the citizens of Far West had 
been informed of the approach of large bodies of armed men 
from the south, and sent out a company of one hundred and fifty 
of their number to learn the character of these forces, whether 
they were friendly or otherwise. The scouting party was soon 
convinced that the intentions of the approaching forces were 
hostile, and found some difficulty themselves in returning to Far 
West without being captured by the mob militia. As they ap- 
proached the city in the evening, they were discovered by Gen- 
eral Doniphan, who received permission from General Lucas to 
try and capture them; but having a superior knowledge of the 
ground, they escaped. 

Seeing these large bodies of men approach, what militia 
there was in Far West was drawn up in line just south of the 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



239 



city to oppose the advance of the formidable enemy. Both 
parties sent out a flag of truce, and they met between the two 
forces. In answer to the inquiry of the citizens of Far West 
as to who the mob forces were and what their intentions, the 
reply was, "We w^ant three persons out of the city before we 
massacre the rest."* Hostilities, how^ever, were postponed until 
the next day, and the mob began the work of encampment along 
the borders of a small stream called Goose Creek, During the 
night, the people in Far West constructed, as best they could, 
some rude fortifications south of the city, and were reinforced 
in the night by Lyman Wight and a small body of men from 
Diahman, 

The mob forces were also strengthened during the night by 
the arrival from the west of Nrel Gilliam's bands, who were 
dressed and painted like Indians, and doubtless more savage 
than the savages %vhose dress, paint, and horrible yells they 
imitated. The mob forces under Corastock, with their hands 
dripping with the blood of their Haunts Mill victims, also 
joined Lucas during the night. 

That was a terrible night of suspense for Far West. The 
people had learned of the massacre at Haun's Mill; they knew 
the murderous intentions of the mob forces encamped within 
two miles of their homes, and outnumbering the people of 
Far West by more than four to one, and clothed with a seeming 
authority by the highest officer in the State, to resist which, 
however outrageous or barbarous the conduct of the mob might 
be, would give further excuse for their extermination. How 
true the saying: '*When the wicked rule, the people mourn T* 

It was with heavy hearts and sinking hopes that the saints 
watched the first approach of the gray dawn that ushered in 
the 31st of October. About eight o'clock a flag of truce was 



* p. P* Pratt's Autobiogmphy, page 201. The man sent out with 
the fiag of truce from Far West waa the late C. C. Rich, 



240 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



sent out (Joseph and other Cfiurch writers say) by the mob 
forces; Lucas in his report to Governor Boggs says: *1 received 
a message from Colonel Hinkle, the commander of the 'Mor- 
mon' forces, [Caldwell militia] requesting an interview with me 
on an eminence near Far West, which he would designate by 
hoisting a white tiag. I sent him word I would meet him at two 
o'clock p, m., being so much engaged in receiving and encamp- 
ing fresh troops, who were hourly coming in, that I could not 
attend before." 

It may be, judging from the subsequent treachery of Col- 
onel Hinkle, that he sent a secret messenger to Lucas request- 
ing an interview, and that the white flag sent out hy the mob 
forces, of which our Church annals speak, and which was met 
by Hinkle in person with a few others, was sent to give General 
Lucas' answer to Hinkle's earlier request for an interview. At 
any rate, the truce flag was sent out and was met by some of the 
brethren, among whom was Hinkle; and if anything special was 
learned, or accommodations arranged, or understanding arrived 
at by the conference held with the enemy's flag of trace, our 
writers have failed to mention it. The reasonable conclusion is, 
therefore, that the flag of truce merely brought to Colonel 
Hinkle the information that Lucas could not meet him until two 
o'clock; and that Hinkle did meet him at that time; and upon 
his own responsibility, without consulting with the citizens of 
Far West or their leaders, entered into, and bound the people 
to, the following terms of capitulation: 



First. To give up al! their [The Church] leaders to he tried and 
punished. 

Second. To make an appropriation of their property, all who 
have taken up artna, to the payment of their debta, and indemnify 
for damage done by them. 

Third. That the balance should leave the State, and be protected 
out by the militia, but to remain until further orders were received 
from the commander in chief. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECOTIONS. 



241 



Fonrtb. To give up their arms of evei'y description, to 
receipted for. 



be 



According to Lucas' statement, Hinkle, while he readily 
accepted these terms of capitulation, desired to postpone the 
matter until the following morning; to which Lucas replied that 
if that was done he would demand that Joseph Smith, Junior, 
Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight» Parley P. Pratt and George W, 
Robinson be surrendered to his custody as hostages for his 
faithful compliance with the foregoing terms; and if after re- 
flection and consultation the people decided to reject the terms 
offered them, these hostages were to be returned at the point 
where they were delivered into his possession,* 

Let us pause here for a moment's reflection. If Lucas in- 
tended to deliver up those men again, what advantage was it 
for him to have them? According to his own statement he 
offered Hinkle terms of capitulation which he and the people 
affected were to consider and report their conclusions upon the 
following day; but Lucas demands the principal **Mormon'' 
leaders as hostages for the faithful performance— of what? 
Merely to bind them to consider the terms of capitulation, ac- 
cording to Lucas* statement; and if those terms were rejected 
after due consideration and consultation, these hostages were to 
be restored to the people f Wels there any need of hostages 
being given to insure the consideration of the terms of surren- 
der offered? Not under the circumstances. The w^hole thing 
was a plan to get the leaders of The Church into the hands of 
the mob, that the governor's order of extermination or banish- 
ment might be carried out without the mob militia running the 
risk of some of them losing their lives; as their generals believed 
the saints would submit to any injustice or indignity, rather 
than endanger the lives of their prophet leaders by resisting it. 



* Report of Li^cas to Governor Boggs, dated November 2, 1838 » 
Headquarters near Far West. 



242 



THE MISSOURI FEKSECUTIONS. 



These men were demanded as a pledge that the whole infamous 
agreement between Lucas and Hinkle should be faitMiilly per- 
formed on Hinkle's part; and not to insure the consideration of 
his terms of surrender as Lucas clumsily puts it. As I proceed 
with the narrative it will be seen that Lucas never intended to 
restore the prisoners to their friends. 

Hinkle returned from the secret consultation with Lucas, 
and about four o'clock in the afternoon told Joseph Smith and 
tlie other men Lucas demanded as hostages, that the leaders of 
the governor*s troops desired a consultation with them outside 
the city limits. Accordingly the brethren^ in company with 
Hinkle, walked out of Par West in the direction of the enemy's 
encampment. When midway between that encampment and Far 
West, the little band of brethren were met by the mob forces. 
Lucas occupied a central place, followed by fifty artillerymen, 
with a four-ponnder; while the remainder of the forces, amount- 
ing to over two thousand, came up on the right and left. As 
soon as Lucas came up, Lyman Wight shook hands with him and 
said: **We understand, General, you wish to confer with us a 
few moments; will not tomorrow morning do as well?" 

Here Colonel Hinkle said: 

* 'General Lucas, these are the prisoners I agreed to deliver 
to yon." 

Lucas brandished his sword and told these men from Far 
West that they were his prisoners, and that they would march 
into his camp without further delay! 

**At this moment/' says Lyman Wight, "I believe there were 
five hundred guns cocked and twenty caps bursted, and more 
hideous yells were never heard, even if the description of the 
yells of the damned in hel! is true as given by the modem sects 
of the day."* Especially horrible and threatening were the 



* Wight's affidavit, Times and Seaaons, VoL 4^ page 267. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



243 



yells and threats of Niel Gilliam's company, costumed and 
painted as Indians, 

The bretiiren had been basely betrayed by Hinkle, as ha 
had never consulted with them or any of the leaders of the 
people in relation to the terms of surrender offered by Lucas; 
and by misrepresentation he had induced them to place them- 
selves in the hands of their implacable enemies. So long as 
treason is detested, and traitors despised, so long will the mem- 
ory of Colonel Hinkle be execrated for Ms vile treachery. 

, On reaching the enemy's camp, ninety men were called out 
to guard the prisoners. Thirty were on this duty at a time: 
two hours on and four hours of. The prisoners lay in the open 
air with nothing as a covering, and they were drenched with 
rain before morning. All night long they were mocked and 
taunted by the guard, who demanded signs, saying, **Come, Mr. 
Smith, show us an angel^ give us one of your revelations, show 
us a miracle;"* mingling these requests with the vilest oaths. 
Sidney Rigdon had an attack of apoplectic fits, which afforded 
much merriment to the brutal guard. 

All night long the prisoners were compelled to listen to the 
filthy obscenity of those who watched them, and hear them re- 
late their deeds of rapine and murder, and boast of their con- 
quest over virtuous wives and maidens hy brute force. Thus th& 
wretched night parsed away. 

The morning following, which was the 1st of November, 
Hyrum Smith and Araasa Lyman were brought into the moVs 
camp as prisoners. 

According to Hinkle's agreement, the militia in Far West 
were marched out of the city and grounded their arms, which 
were taken possession of by Lucas, although they were not State 
arms, but were the private property of the men who carried 
them. The mob was now let loose npon the unarmed citizens of 



♦ p. p. Pratt's Autobiography, page 204. 



244 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



Far West, and under the pretext of searching for arras they 
ransacked every house, tore up the floors, upset haystacks^ 
wantonly destroyed much property, and shot down a number of 
cattle Just for the sport it afforded them. The people were 
robbed of their most valuable property, insulted and whipped; 
but this was not the worst. The chastity of a number of 
women was defiled by force; some of them were strapped 
to benches and repeatedly ravished by brutes in human form 
until they died from the effects of this treatment. The horri- 
ble threat made a few years before in Jackson County had been 
at last carried out — tFie will ravuh tkeir women! 

At night a court-martial was held, consisting of some 
fourteen militia ofRcers^ among whom were Colonel Hiiikle and 
aboQt twenty priests of the different denominations. Sashiel 
Woods and Bogart, the Presbyterian ministers, were among 
them; and in addition to these spiritual dignitaries, there was 
the circuit judge, Austin A, King and the district attorney, Mr. 
Birch. The decision of the court was that the prisoners should 
be shot the following morning at eight o'clock, in the public 
square of Far West, in the presence of their families, as an 
example to the "Mormon" people. 

Colonel Hinkle visited Hynim Smith and told him that a 
court-martial had been held and that he had contended for his 
(Hjmim's) acquittal, but it availed nothing, and all were to be 
shot the next morning. General Wilson had made an effort 
during the day to corrupt Lyman Wight, and get him to testify 
to something against Joseph Smith, but in this he failed. About 
the time Hinkle went to Hyrum, General Wilson took Wight 
aside and told him the decision of the court-martial. "Shoot 
and be damned," said Wight. About this time General Doniphan 
came up to Wilson and Wight and, addressing the latter, he 
said: *'Colonel, the decision is a damned hard one, hut I wash 
my hands against such cold-blooded murder." And he further 
said that he intended to remove his troops the following day as 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 245 

soon as light, that they should not witness such heartless mur- 
der. General Graham and a few others, whose names unfortun- 
ately have not been preserved, had voted against the decision of 
the court-martial, but it availed nothing. 

The bold stand taken by General Doniphan the next morn- 
ing, in threatening to remove his troops and denouncing the 
execution of the prisoners as cold-blooded murder, alarmed Lucas, 
and he changed his mind about executing the decision of the court- 
martial; in fact he revoked the decree, and placed the prisoners 
in charge of General Wilson with instructions to conduct them 
to Independence. 



246 



THE MISSOURI PEESECUTIONS, 



CHAPTER XLlh 



SAD SCENES AT FAR WEST. 



BEFORE starting:, the prisoners were conducted into Far 
West, permitted to get a change of linen, and take leave 
of their families, though in the presence of a brutal guard. This 
parting, which they had good reason to believe was their final 
one, was very distressing* Yet it was bon\e with manly fortitude. 
Parley P. Pratt's wife was sick with a fever, with anMnfant at 
her breast. The roof of the miserable hovel in which she lay 
afforded but little protection from the drizzling rain which at 
the time was fallmg. His large comfortable house had been 
pulled down by the mob, and he had been forced to find tempo- 
rary shelter in this hovel, for his sick wife and her young family. 
Stretched out on the foot of the bed, on which Ms wife lay, was 
another woman who had been driven from her home the night 
before, who now was in the throes of child-birth. To leave a 
family sick and helpless and destitute and exposed to the insults 
of a lawless band of murderers, would appall the stoutest heart, 
In tears Elder Pratt went to General Wilson and told him the 
circumstances of his family with the view of getting time to 
provide for their comfort, but he was only answered with a mock- 
ing, exultant laugh. 

The wife of Hyrum Smith was near her confinement, yet he 
was compelled to take his leave of her in the presence of his 
brutal guard, who peremptorily ordered her to get her husband a 
change of clothing within two minutes or he would be compelled 
to go without them; and after securing the clothing he was 
rudely hustled out of the house to join the rest of the prisoners. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



247 



The separation of Sidney Rigdon from his family was scarcely 
less distressing, and Joseph had been as roughly torn away from 
his family. The prisoners %vere placed in a wagon, around which 
crowded the friends and relatives, among whom were the aged 
parents of Joseph and Hyrum, their hearts wrang with anguish 
and their eyes blinded with tears, as they beheld their noble sons 
in the hands of their merciless enemies. No one was allowed to 
speak to them, the silent pressure of the hand was the only token 
of affection granted, and the wagon containing the prisoners 
moved on, surrounded by its military guard, and followed by the 
prayers of heart-sick wives and a grief-stricken people. Leav- 
ing the prisoners to pursue their journey to Independence, let us 
relate what happened about Far West and Diahman. 

Joseph and his fellow-prisoners were started for Jackson 
County on the second of No%"ember, and General Clark arrived 
at Far West on the fourth. In the meantime, Lucas had sent 
Niel Gilliani'S company and a part of General Parks' brigade, 
under command of General Parks, with orders to surround 
Diahman and disarm the people. And just before Clark arrived, 
Lucas, too, went to Diahman. The first thing done by Clark 
was to send orders to General Lucas to take all the men among 
the **Mormons" prisoners, and secure their property, with a view 
of paying with it the damages that had been sustained by the 
old settlers. 

After this, the brethren remaining at Far West were drawn 
up in line, and the names of fifty-six called off, and as they 
stepped out from the line, they were put under arrest to await 
a trial, though they were not informed as to the nature of the 
charges against them. After these fifty-six had been secured, 
General Clark addressed himself to the remainder, and referred 
them to the terms of surrender that Colonel Hinkleiiad arranged 
for them without their consent, and even without consulting 
with them. Yet General Clark as rigidly enforced those terms 
as if the people had drafted them, or had given them their sane- 



248 



THE MlSSOUKl PEESECUTIOKS. 



tion after they were drafted. The first item in tke terms of 
capitulation was that the leaders of the people should be gwen 
up to be dealt with according to law. 'This," said Clark, "y<^^ 
have complied with." 

The second item was that th«y should deliver up their arms, 
*'This has been attended to/' said the general. 

The third stipulation was that they sign over their property 
to defray the expenses of the war. **This you have also done," 
complacently went on Clark. That was true. The saints had 
signed away their property at the point of the musket, while the 
mob which compelled them to go to such extremes, mocked them 
with their taunts and sneers, unchecked by the officers who com- 
manded them. 

After enumerating the things the saints had complied with, 
the self-important general concluded his speech in these words: 

Another article yet remains for you to comply with, and that is, 
that you leave the State forthwith; and whatever may be your feel- 
ings concerning this, or whatever your innocence, it is nothing to me. 
General Lucas, who ia etiual in authority with me, has made this 
treaty with yon — I approve of it — I should have done the same had 
I been here — I am therefore determined to see it fulfilled. The char- 
acter of this State has suffered almost beyond redemption, from the 
character, conduct and influence that you have exerted. And we deem 
it an act of justice to restore her character to its former standing 
among the States by every proper means. 

The orders of the governor to me were, that you ahou!d be ex- 
terminated, and not allowed to remain in the State; and had your 
leaders not been given up and the terms of the treaty complied with, 
before this you and your families would have been destroyed, and your 
homes in ashes. There is a discretionary power vested in my hands 
which I shall exercise in your favor for a season, for this lenity you 
are indebted to my demencp, I do not say that you shall go now, but 
you must not think of staying here another season, or of putting in 
crops; for the moment you io this the citizens will foe upon you. If 
I am called here again in case of a non-compliance of a treaty made, 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



249 



do not think that I shall act any more as I have done, you need not 
6xpect any mercy, but extermination, for I am determined the govern- 
or's order shall be executed. 

As for your leaders do not once think-^do not imagine for a mo- 
ment — do not let it enter your mind, that they will be delivered or 
that yon will see their faces again, for their fate is fixed — their die is 
cast. Tfieir doom is sealed. I am sorry, gentlemen, to see so great a 
number of apparently intelligent men found in the situation you are; 
and oh, that I could invoke that Great Spirit^ the unknown God, to 
rest upon yon and make you sufficiently intelligent to break that chain 
of superstition and liberate you from those fetters of fanaticism, with 
which you are bound, that you no longer worship a man. 

I would advise you to scatter abroad and never again organize 
yourselves with bishops, presidents, etc., lest you excite the Jealous- 
ies of the people and subject yourselves to the same calamities that 
have now come upon you. 

You have always been the aggressors; you have brought upon 

Lyourselves these difficulties by being disaffected and not being subject 

to rule; and my advice is that you become as other citizens, lest by a 

recurrence of these events, you bring upon yourselves irretrievable 

ruin. 



After listening to this harranp;ue — this mixture of hypoc- 
risy and conceit, affected pity and heartless cruelty, pretended 
I. patriotism and willful treason — the fifty-six brethren who had 
been arrested, for what, they knew not, neither did Clark appear 
able to inform them, were sent to Richmond where they were to 
be tried; and the remainder were dismis.?ed to pnmde food and 
fuel for their families, and make preparations for leaving the 
State. 

Governor Boggs appeared anxious about having his exter- 
minating orders carried into effect, and occasionally stirred up 
General Clark to a lively remembrance of what he expected him 
to do, by sending him messages from time to time. Here is a 
specimen received directly after Clark had sent the fifty-six 
,prisoners to Richmond: 

16 



250 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



It will be a necessity that yon hold a military court of inquiry in 
Daviess County, and arrest the "Mormons," who have been guilty 
of the late outrages committet] towards the inhabitants of said county. 
My instructions to you are to settle this whole matter completely if 
possible before yon disband your forces; if the "Mormons" are dis- 
posed voluntarily to leave the State, of course it wonld be advisable 
in you to promote that object in any way deemed proper. Tk^ Hng- 
kaders ought by no meafis to be permitted to escape the punukvient they 
merit. 

As if inspired to new zeal by the receipt of this message, 
Clark ordered General Wilson, who, in the meantime, had re- 
turned from Jackson County, to go to Diahman and take charge 
of all the prisoners at that place, and ascertain those who had 
committed "crimes," put them under close guard, and when he 
moved to take them to Keytesville, the county seat of Chariton 
County, and between seventy and eighty mOes from Diahman, 
A number of the bretliren were taken prisoners at Diahman and 
were examined before Judge Adam Black, one of the ringleaders 
of the mob In bringing about the whole trouble. But even he 
was obliged to acquit the brethren brought before him, as they 
were innocent of the charges made against them. At the close 
of their examination. General Wilson ordered all the saints to 
leave Diahman within ten days, with permission to move into 
Caldwell County, ami remain until spring, when they were to 
leave the State 

A committee of twelve men w^ere granted the privilege of 
moving about freely between Far West and Diahman, with per- 
mission to move the com and household goods from the latter 
to the former place* The stock, or the most of it, was taken 
possession of by the mob-militia. The committee of twelve were 
to wear white badgea on their hats in order that they might be 
easily recognized by the forces that would be detailed to watch 
the movements of the "Mormon'* people. 

By this arrangement the saints at Diahman were driven 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 251 

from their comfortable homes to camp out through a long, dreary 
and severe winter in their wagons and tents, by reason of which 
exposure many perished, among whom were a number of delicate 
women and children. 



252 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 
A prophet's rebuke. 

IT is time now that we turn our attention to what befell Joseph 
Smith and his fellow-prisoners. The first day from Far West 
they made twelve miles, camping at night on Crooked Riyer. A 
strong guard was placed around the prisoners, who watched 
them closely. 

The next morning the Prophet Joseph had a word of com- 
fort for his brethren. He spoke to each one quietly saying: "Be 
of good cheer, brethren, the word of the Lord came to me last 
night that our lives should be given us; and that whatever we 
might suffer during this captivity, not one of our lives should be 
taken."* 

The reader will pardon me if I anticipate sufficiently to say 
that this renft,rkable prophecy was verily fulfilled: not one of 
their lives was sacrificed. 

The same day this prophecy was made, the prisoners reached 
the Missouri River, and were hurried across into Jackson County, 
for General Clark had sent word to Lucas to bring the prisoners 
to him at Richmond; but Wilson was determined to exhibit the 
prisoners at Independence. On the journey Wilson became more 
friendly towards his prisoners and conversed freely with them 
in relation to the disturbances which had taken place in Jackson 
County, in 1833. General Wilson, it must bo remembered, was 
the man who kept a store about one mile west of Big Blue, and 
seven or eight miles west of Independence; and who was active 
in driving the saints from Jackson County and burning their 



♦Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, page 210. 



THE MISSOURI PEESECUTIONS. 



253 



homes. Of the part he took in these proceedings he boasted as 
if it was some laudable work he had acomplished, though he ad- 
mitted that he and his associates then, and now, were the ag- 
gressors, and that the manner of life followed by the saints waa 
blameless. 

Oe the fourth the prisoners and their guards arrived at 
Independence, and though it was raining,the prisoners were driven 
about the streets for the purpose of exhibiting them to the 
crowds which had come together to see them. They were placed 
in an old, vacant house where many came to see them during that 
and the following day. Among those who came on the first day 
was a lady, who innocently inquired which one of the men it was 
the **Mormons" worshiped, Joseph waa pointed out to her as 
the one, and she inquired of him if he professed, to be the Lord 
and Savior, To which he replied that he "professed to he noth- 
ing hut a man, and a minister of salvation, sent by Jesus Christ 
to preach the Gospel" This astonished the lady and her eager 
questions brought from the prophet, ever willing to preach the 
gospel either in freedom or in bondage, a discourse on the princi- 
ples he was sent to teach. The lady broke down in tears, and 
left their dingy prison with a prayer for their safety and de- 
liverance. Joseph's native eloquence and the truth he advocated 
had gained another triumph, for not only was the lady overcome 
with what she heard, but it had its effect upon all who listened. 

In a day or two the prisoners were removed from their 
miserable quarters where the floor had been their bed and blocks 
of wood their pillows, to the best hotel in the city, where they 
were treated kindly and allowed to move about pretty freely, 
with a small guard to watch their movements. Subsequently, 
however, they had to pay their own expense at this hotel and 
exorbitant charges were made for every comfort afforded them. 

During the few days that Joseph and his fellow-prisoners 
remained at Independence, several messages were sent from Gen- 
eral Clark's headquarters at Richmond to have the "Mormon'* 



254 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



leaders sent there immediately. General Wilson, however, found 
it difficult to secure a guard to accompany them, as no one would 
volunteer, and when men were drafted they refused to obey 
orders. At last three men were obtained as a guard, and on 
the morning of the eighth of November they set out for Rich- 
mond. They traveled down the south bank of the Missouri 
River to a ferry kept by a Frenchman by the name of Roy. Here 
they crossed the river, and after going about a half a mile lodged 
for the night at a private house. The guard who accompanied 
the prisoners came more as a protection to them than to hinder 
them from escaping, and the people in and about Independence 
appeared willing for the prisoners to escape. The guards had 
been drinking during the day, and not infrequently the prisoners 
were sixty or eighty rods in the rear or ahead of them. When 
night found them at the private house before mentioned, sleep 
so overpowered the guards that they gave their arras into the 
hands of the prisoners that they might protect themselves if oc- 
casion to do so should occur; and that was quite likely since 
they were in a neighborhood filled with their most bitter ene- 
mies. 

The night passed, however, without any disturbance, and 
the next morning the journey to Richmond was continued. Be- 
fore starting a number of armed and rough-looking men, gath- 
ered about the prisoners with curses and threats, and the guards 
alarmed for their safety, sent a messenger to Richmond to obtain 
a stronger guard. Without waiting for its arrival, the little 
company proceeded on its journey, but had not gone far 
when they met Colonel Sterling Price and a guard of seventy 
soldiers. 

Arriving at Richmond, Joseph and his brethren were thrust 
into an old, vacant house under ^ard. Soon afterwards they were 
visited by General Clark who was introduced to them. The 
prisoners made an effort to find out the charges against them, 
but Clark evaded their questions and shortly withdrew. Clark 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



256 



had left the room but a few mimites when Colonel Price came in 
accompanied by a blacksmith of the name of John Fulkerson, 
carrying a log chain and a number of pad-locks. The windows 
to the house were nailed down, and the seven priaoners from 
Independence were chained together by the ankles; Price's guard 
of ten men standing with guns poised, and their thumbs on the 
hammers for instant use. 

In the meantime General Clark was searching for authority 
to try the prisoners before a court-martial, and it would appear 
from the testimony of a brother, by the name of Grant, that he 
had concluded to so proceed, and had even given the sentence 
of the court before an investigation had occurred; for this young 
man by the name of Grant, (given name not known), but a 
hrother-in-law to William Smith, brother to the Prophet Joseph, 
lodged at the hotel where Clark made his headquarters. He 
saw that general select the men who were to shoot the **Mor- 
mon" leaders on the morning of the twelfth of November. He 
saw these men choose their rifles and load them with two balls 
in each; after which Clark said to them; "Gentlemen, you shall 
have the honor of shooting the '^Mormon" leaders on Monday 
morning at eight o'clock."* 

Some of the friends of the captive brethren intimated to 
the general that he had no authority to try the prisoners by 
court-marfcial; whereupon he sent to Fort Leavenworth to obtain 
the military code of laws, which he searched for several days for 
authority to try the prisoners as he had proposed, by court- 
martial. At last he had to give it up, but he did it with great 
reluctance. He visited the prison where Joseph and his brethren 
were confined, and told them he had decided to deliver them 
to the civil authorities; and informed them they were accused 
of ''treason, murder, arson, larceny, theft, and stealing." The 



* Testimony of Hyrum Smitli, Times and Seasons, volume 4, page 



252, 



THE JtlSSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



prisoners then were delivered into the hands of the civil author- 
ities, and an investigation was begun before Austin A. King, the 
circuit judge, and Thomas C. Birch, the prosecuting attorney for 
the State. 

The examination of the witnesses for the State continued 
Dm the eleventh of November to the twenty-sixth. Each night 
"after the day's examination the prisoners who had been brought 
down from Independence were taken to their gloomy prison and 
chained together, while about fifty of their brethren and fellow- 
prisoners^ who had been brought from Far West, were kept 
under guard in an open unfinished, courtrhouse, exposed to the 
excessive coldness of that inclement season. 

The constitution of Elder Rigdon was so dehcate, that in 
consequence of the exposure and hardships he was forced to en- 
dure under this cruel persecution, his health broke down and at 
last he lost his reason; yet he was chained to his companions 
and compelled to remain in the presence of a noisy and unruly 
and unfeeling guard. His daughter, who was the wife of 
George W. Robinson, one of the prisoners fastened to the same 
chain with her father, was at last permitted to come to the 
prison and care for her afflicted father. Lovingly, tenderly this 
delicate young woman with her first bom babe at her breast, 
nursed her afflicted father through those gloomy days, and 
through her tenderness and anxious care nursed him back to 
health and reason. 

The guard, under Colonel Price, was perhaps the most foul- 
mouthed and villainous that could possibly be brought together. 
They related to each other their deeds ol murder and rapine^ and 
boasted of raping virtuous wives and maidens, until the prison- 
ers were heart-sick with the disgusting details of their crimes* 
Parley P. Pratt relates an incident that occurred in the prison 
one night when the guards were unusually obscene, which we 
give entire in that WTiter's own language: 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 257 

I had listened [to the guard's boasts of defiling wives and maidens 
by force] till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified and so filled 
with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from 
rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards; but had said nothing 
to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew 
he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice 
of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering as near as I can recollect, 
the following: 

"Silence! ye fiends of the the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus 
Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live 
another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or 
I die this instant" 

He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained 
and without a weapon; calm, unruffled, dignified as an angel, he looked 
upon the quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to 
the ground; whose knees smote together, and who shrinking into a 
corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet 
till a change of guards. 

I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes, 
and criminals arraigned before them, while life was suspended on a 
breath, in the courts of England. I have witnessed a congress in 
solemn session to give laws to nations; I have tried to conceive of 
kings, or royal courts.of thrones and crowns, and of emperors assembled 
to decide the fate of kingdoms; but dignity and majesty have 1 seen 
but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight in a dungeon, in an obscure 
village in Missouri. 



258 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XLIV, 
"a strong point for treason," 

FIFTEEN days were consumed in taking testimony for the 
State, At the expiration of that time the judge ordered 
the defendants to bring forth their rebutting testimony or he 
would thrust them into prison. **I could hardly understand 
what the judge meant," says Hyriim Smith, "as I considered we 
were in prison already," The names of forty persons, residents 
of Far West, were given to the court to be called as witnesses 
for the defense, and the subpoenas for them were placed in the 
hands of * *Captain" or "Parson/' which ever title the reader may 
be beat pleased to know Mm by, for he was both captain of a gang 
of mobbers and a supposed minister of Christ, and now an arm 
of the civil power— any way it was Bogard of Crooked River battle 
fame. He took with him a force of fifty men and started for 
Far West; and in the course of a few days returned with the 
forty men. They were at once put under arrest and by this 
cunning were prevented from appearing as witnesses. 

After executing this coup de main the judge petulant- 
ly exclaimed: "Gentlemen, you must get your witnesses or 
you shall be committed to jail immediately.** Most of the breth- 
ren felt very much discouraged at the turn affairs had taken, 
but Hyrum Smith, under the advice of General Doniphan and 
Lawyer Reese, gave the names of some twenty other persons at 
Far West, who were desirable as witnesses. The same man was 
ordered to bring the witnesses to Richmond, but in the mean- 
time the people at Far West had learned of the intrigue being^ 
practiced upon them, and the persons whose names Bogard took 
with him, w^ho had not left the State, kept out of the way and 



THE MISSOURI PEKSECITTIONS. 



259 



he returned to Richmond with but one man who was wanted, and 
he was thrust into jail and not allowed to testify. The judge 
again urged the prisoners to bring on their witnesses, telling 
them it was the last day he w^ould hold the court open for them. 

While the brethren w^ere in consultation with their lai^yers 
a Mr. Allen passed the window and Hyrum Smith beckoned to 
him to come inside, and the prisoners then informed the court 
that they had one witness w^ho was ready to be sworn. But at 
this juncture the prosecuting attorney, Birch, objected to having 
the witness testify, as this court was merely investigating the 
case, and not trying it, notwithstanding the frequent calls from 
the court asking the accused to procure witnesses. General Doni- 
phan here lost his patience, and rising to his feet he said: **ril be 

G^ d d if the witness is not sworn. It is a d d shame 

to treat these defendants in this manner. They are not allowed 
to put one witness on the stand; while the witnesses they have 
sent for have been captured by force of arms and thrust into 
the 'bull pen/ to prevent their testifying." 

No sooner, however, had Allen begun his testimony than he 
was taken by the nape of the neck by a brother-in-law of the 
priest Bogard, kicked out of the room and made to run for his 
life. 

During this preliminary examination Judge King appeared 
extremely anxious to fasten the crime of treason upon Joseph 
Smith and his associates; and to that end he bent every energy, 
knowing that if a charge of that character w^ere sustained against 
them he could refuse them bail. The judge asked one of 
the witnesses if the "Mormons" sent missionaries to foreign 
countries. He was answered in the affirmative, *'Do the *Mor- 
mons' profess a belief in the seventh chapter of Daniel, and the 
twenty-seventh verse?"* asked the judge. 



**<Aiid the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the king- 



260 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



'^Certainly they do/' replied the witness. *'Then/* said 
Judge King, turning to the clerk of the court, and speaking with 
that dignity all judges are supposed to possess, **put that down; 
that is a strong point for treason T 

The examination resulted in the Prophet Joseph, his brother 
Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin and Alex- 
ander McRae being committed on a charge of treason, and sent 
to Liberty jail, in Clay County, 

Parley P; Pratt, Morris Phelps, Lyman Gibba, Darwin Chase 
and Norman Shearer were committed on a charge of murder for 
the part they took in the battle of Crooked River; and were to 
remain in prison at Richmond. 

The fifty-six other brethren that had been sent to Richmond 
as prisoners by General Clark, and the forty brought down by 
Bogard under the pretense that they were to be witnesses on 
behalf of their brethren, were either released or admitted to 
bail Those admitted to bail, together with those who went on 
their bonds, were subsequently driven from the State so that the 
bail was forfeited. Having followed the brethren in bonds thus 
far, we must turn our attention to what befell the main body of 
the Saints. 



dqm under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints 
of the Most Higbt whose kingdom ia an everlasting kingdom, and all 
dominions shall serve and obey him" [meaning Christ. J — Daniel 7: 27. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 261 



CHAPTER XLV. 

EXODUS PROM MISSOURI. 

IT will perhaps be remembered that the saints at Diahman 
were given a very limited time by General Wilson in which 
to leave for Far West — only ten days. Therefore in their flight to 
Far West they left much of their stock and property behind 
them. 

On the first of December the *'Mormon" committee that had. 
been granted the privilege of moving freely between Diahman 
and Far West for a limited time proposed to a committee of 
Daviess County citizens, viz., W. P. Peniston, Dr. K. Kerr, and 
Adam Black, that the "Mormon" committee be allowed, first, to 
employ twenty teams and their drivers to move the property of 
the saints from Diahman to Far West; and, second, that they 
be allowed to collect all stock the "Mormon" people owned in 
Daviess County, and that on a given day a committee from said 
county examine the stock and accompany the "Mormon" committee 
and the stock out of the county, the brethren binding themselves 
on their part not to take any stock from the county after this 
general drive. These propositions were accepted by the Daviess 
County committee, and duly executed, though much of the stock 
belonging to the saints had been driven away, or shot down to 
supply the mob forces with beef. 

It was during these trying times that Brigham Young, af- 
terwards the President of The Church, began to exhibit those ex- 
ecutive qualities which so eminently fitted him as a great leader. 
By the apostasy of Thomas B. Marsh, the presidency of the 
quorum of the Twelve Apostles devolved upon him, hence also 
the leadership of The Church during the absence of the First 



262 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



Presidency. Was God training him for leadership in that 
greater exodus to take place a few years later? 

He called together those members of the High Council of the 
Par West stake of Zion that still remained in Far West, and en- 
quired of them as to their faith in the Latter-day work, first 
telling them that Ms own faith was unshaken » All the members 
present expressed their undying faith in the gospel, and their 
confidence in Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, The council 
was then reorganized; the vacancies caused by absence or apos- 
tasy were filled up, and the council was prepared to do business. 

Elders John Taylor and John E. Page, both of whom had pre- 
viously been chosen by revelation for the office, were ordained 
members of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on the nine- 
teenth day of September, under the hands of Brigham Young 
and Heber C, Kimball This work of setting in order the High 
Council and filling the vacancies in the quorum of the Apostles 
being accomplished^ Elder Young waited upon Bishop Partridge 
and proposed to him that they adopt some plan to remove the 
poor from the State, that they might not fall victims to the 
governor's exterminating order. The bishop's reply was rather 
ungracious, for he said: "The poor may take care of themselves, 
and I will take care of myself!" "Well," said Elder Young, '*if 
you will not help them out^ I will." Here, however, I would 
suggest to the reader not to judpie the bishop too harshly for 
the petulant expression he allowed to escape him at that mo- 
ment. Let it be remembered that when the bishop first became 
connected with The Church he was a man of considerable means: 
and now% in consequence of frequent drivings, and caring for his 
brethren, he found himself stripped of nearly all his earthly pos- 
sessions, and sorely perplexed as to the future. No wonder 
then, if, in a moment of forgetfulness, he made the remark 
quoted above. Those were days that tried men's souls, be not 
surprised if good men and true had their periods of despond- 
ency. 



THE MISSOURI PEKSECUTIONS. 



263 



Elder Young^s activity and zeal in the matter of caring for the 
poor were unbounded, A public meeting was called, not only of 
the saints but also of the citizens of Caldwell County and the 
poverty and distress of many of the saints presented to them. 
Several gentlemen, not members of The Church, expressed them- 
selves as being of opinion that an appeal should be made to the 
citizens of upper Missouri, inviting their assistance towards 
furnishing means to remove the poor from Caldwell County. 
Whether such an appeal was made or not, I cannot say, but 
rather think not, as a resolution was adopted at this meeting as 
follows: ^'Resolvedj That it is the opinion of this meeting that 
an exertion should he made to ascertain how much [means] can 
be obtained from individuals of the society [church]; and that it 
is the duty of those who have, to assist those who have not, 
that thereby we may, as far as possible, within and of ourselves, 
comply with the demands of the Executive." So that the gen- 
erosity of the people of upper Missouri I think was not 
appealed to by the saints that were driven from among them. 

At a subsequent meeting, similar in character to the one al- 
luded to, Elder Young offered this resolution: ''Uemlved, That 
we this day enter into a covenant to stand by and assist each 
other, to the utmost of our abilities, in removing from this 
State, and that we will never desert the poor who are worthy, 
till they shall be out of the reach of the general exterminating 
order of General Clark, acting for and in the name of the State." 
This resolution ivas adopted, and a committee of seven appointed 
to superintend the removal of the saints. 

A committee was also appointed to draft a covenant that 
should bind the saints in an agreement to assist each other to 
the extent of their available property to remove from the State 
of Missouri, in accordance with the orders of the governor; this 
covenant was drawn up in due form and signed by the faithful 
brethren. Elder Young secured eighty names to this covenant 
the first day he took hold of it, and three hundred the next. 



264 



THE M18S0UHI PERSECUTIONS, 



The Prophet Joseph, not willing to be behind the other breth- 
ren in tlie good work, hearing what was going on through those 
who visited him while in prison, from his gloomy dungeon at 
Liberty, sent the brethren a hundred dollars to assist in remov- 
ing the Saints* 

Charles Bird was appointed to go down towards the Missis- 
sippi and make deposits of corn for the use of the saints as they 
should make their way out of the State. He was also to make 
contracts for ferriage and arrange whatever else might be neces- 
sary for their comfort and security. Thus all things w^ere pre- 
pared for the exodus of The Church from the unfriendly State of 
Missouri. 

No sooner had these arrangements been perfected than Elder 
Young, whose wisdom and activity had doubtless given offense 
to the enemies of The Church, had to flee from Far West to 
escape tbe vengeance of the naob. He went to Illinois, In his 
labors. Elder YoEng had been materially assisted by the sup- 
port and counsels of Heber C, Kimball, John Taylor and the 
members of the various committees that had been appointed, 
to whom w^as now left the execution of the plans that had 
been laid for the removal of The Church. 

I can not dwell upon all the details of that exodus. All I 
need say here is that it was managed with consummate wisdom; 
and, in view of all the difficulties in the way, with less suffering 
than could have been expected* 

By the twentieth of April nearly all the saints, variously 
estimated from twelve to fifteen thousand, had left the State 
where they had experienced so much* sorrow; and found a tem- 
porary I'esting place in the State of lUiaois, chiefly in the city 
of Quincy and vicinity, but a few settled in the then Territory 
of Iowa, 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 265 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

AGAIN THE PASSIVELY GOOD— PETITIONS. 

IT must not be supposed that all the people of Missouri sanc- 
tioned the outrages committed against The Church. On 
the contrary there was here and there an honorable man who 
protested against the conduct of the mob and the authorities; 
and occasionally some newspaper would deplore the action of 
the State against the saints. 

Among the men who were moved with sympathy by their suf- 
ferings was Michael Arthur. He wrote to the representatives 
in the State legislature from Clay County, relating the vile atroc- 
ities that were heaped upon the heads of the defenseless saints 
after they had surrendered their arms to General Clark. He 
represented that the "Mormons" were willing to leave the State, 
in fact that they were making every effort that their limited 
means would permit them to make to get away, and suggested 
that a company of reliable men under the command of Geo. M. 
Pryer be authorized to patrol on the line between Daviess and 
Caldwell counties with authority to arrest any one they found 
disturbing the peace, that the "Mormons" might be protected 
while they were making preparations to leave the State. And 
if it was impracticable to organize this company of men, then he 
suggested that the arms taken from the "Mormons" be returned 
to them, that they might defend themselves from the barbarous 
attacks of their enemies. 

Nor were the saints wanting in attention to the instructions 
of the Lord in the matter of petitioning for a redress of their 
grievances. For as soon as the legislature was convened they 
sent a statement of all the wrongs heaped upon them during 

17 



266 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



their sojourn in the State of Missouri, from the time they first 
settled in Jackson County to the treaty forced upon them at Far 
West by Generals Lucas and Clark, and the outrages that fiad 
been committed against them since the surrender of their arms. 
After detailing the story of their wrongs, they asked: first, 
that the legislature pass a law rescinding the exterminating or- 
der of Governor Boggs; second, they asked an expression of the 
legislature, disapproving the conduct of those who compelled 
them to sign a deed of trust at the muzzle of the musket, and 
of any man in consequence of that deed of trust taking their 
property and appropriating it to the payment of damages sus- 
tained, in consequence of trespasses committed by others; third, 
that they receive payment for the six hundred and thirty-five 
arms that were taken from them, which were worth twelve or 
fifteen thousand dollars; fourth, that an appropriation be made 
to reimburse them for their loss of lands from which they had 
been driven in Jackson County. The petition closed in these 
words: 



In laying our case before yoor honorable body, we say that we 
are willing, and always have heen, to conform to the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, and of this State. We ask in common with 
others the protection of the laws. We ask for the privileges guaran- 
teed all free citizens of the United States and of this State to be ex- 
tended to us, and that we may be permitted to settle and live where 
we please, and worsliip God according to the dictates of our own con- 
science without molestation. And while we ask for ourselves this 
privilege, we are willing all others should enjoy the same* 

Elder Da\nd H. Redfield was appointed to present this petition 
to the lef^islature; and on that mission he arrived at Jefferson 
City on the seventeenth day of December. The same day of his 
arrival he had an interview with Governor Boggs, in which the 
governor manifested much interest, and on being informed that 
the Missourians were committing depredations against the saints, 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



267 



promised to write Judge King and Colonel Price ordering them 
to put do^^m every hostile appearance. 

In the course of this conversation Boggs admitted that the 
"stipulations entered into hy the Mormons to leave the State, 
and signing the deeds of trusty were unconstitutional and not 
valid." ''We want the legislature to pass a law to that effect, 
showing that the stipulations and deeds of trust are not valid 
and are unconstitutional," said Redfield, and w^ent on to say if 
they did not, the character of the State was forever lost. 

Previous to the arrival of Redfield, the governor's exterminat- 
ing order, General Clark's reports, the report of the ex parte 
investigation at Richmond, and a lot of other papers, had been 
forwarded to the legislature and referred to a special joint com- 
mittee. That committee reported the day following Redfield'a 
arrival at Jefferson City, the eighteenth of December. And to 
show in what bad repute these documents were held by this com- 
mittee, I need only say that it refused to allow them to be pub- 
lished with the sanction of the legislature, because the evidence 
adduced at Richmond in a great degree was ex parte and not of 
a character to be desired for the basis of a fair and candid in- 
vestigation. The report concluded with three resolutions: one 
to the effect that it was inexpedient at that time to prosecute 
further the inquiry into the cause of the late disturbances; 
another to the effect that it was inexpedient to publish any of 
the documents accompanying the governor's message in relation to 
those disturbances; the last favored the appointment of a Joint 
committee from the house and senate to investigate the 
troubles and the conduct of the military operations to suppress 
them. These resolutions were subsequently referred to a joint 
select committee with instructions to report a bill in conformity 
thereto, and to which I shall again allude. 

The day after, the committee reported in relation to that part 
of the governor's message relating to the "Mormon troubles," 
and on the documents accompanying it. The petition from the 



288 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



saints was read ^ amid profound stillness of the house, and at 
i ts conclusion an angry debate followed, in which quite a num- 
ber of the members testiiied to the correctness of the state- 
menta made in the petition and to the cruelties practiced upon 
the saints, but they w^ere in the minority. 

On the sixteenth of Jannary, Mr, Turner, the chairman of the 
select joint committee before alluded to, in conformity with the 
resolution passed, reported **A bill to provide for the investiga- 
tion of the late disturbances in the State of Missouri/' The hill 
consisted of twenty-three sections, it provided for a joint com- 
mittee composed of two members of the senate and three mem- 
bers from the house, which was to meet at Richmond on the first 
Monday in May and thereafter at such time and places as it saw 
proper. The committee was to select its own officers; issue sub- 
pcenas and other processes, administer oaths, keep a record, etc. 
This bill was introduced on the sixteenth of January, and on 
the fourth of February called up for its first reading, but on 
motion of Mr. Wright was laid on the table till the fourth of 
July. He knew that by that time, since the governor's extermi- 
nating order was still in force, that the **Morraons," in obedience 
to that cruel edict, would all have left the State, and then there 
would be no need of an investigation. That was the fate of the 
bill It w^as never afterwards brought up. 

The legislature in its magnanimity appropriated two thousand 
dollars to relieve the sufferings of the people in Daviess and 
Caldwell Counties, the * "Mormons** were to be included. And now 
came an opportunity for the Missourians of Daviess County to 
display their generosity. Having filled their homes with the 
household effects of the saints; their yards with the stock they 
had stolen; their smoke houses with **Mormon" beef and pork; 
they concluded they could get along without their portion of the 
appropriation and allow^ed the two thousand dollars to be distrib- 
uted among the ^'Mormons" of Caldw^ell County! 

Judge Cameron and a Mr. McHenry superintended the dis- 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS.: 2B9 

tribution of this appropriation. The hogs owned by the breth- 
ren who had lived in Daviess County were driven down into Cald- 
well, shot down and without further bleeding were roughly 
dressed and divided out among the saints at a high price. This 
and the sweepings of some old stores soon exhausted the legisla- 
tive appropriation, and amounted to little or nothing in the 
way of relief to the saints. 

Subsequently this same legislature, while the petition of the 
saints for a redress of their wrongs was lying before it, ap- 
propriated two hundred thousand dollars to defray the expenses 
incurred in driving the "Mormons" from the State, and dispos- 
sessing them of their property! By that act the legislature be- 
came a party to the deeds of the mob forces, urged on in their 
cruelties by the executive of the State; for that legislature had 
sealed with its approval all that had been done, by paying the 
mob that had executed the plan devised for the expulsion of the 
"Mormon" people. 



270 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

THE ESCAPE OF THE PROPHET FROM BflSSOURI. 

THE winter of 1838-9 must have been a trying one to 
Joseph the Prophet and his associates immured in Jjiberty 
prison. The gloom of their prison life must have caused them less 
sorrow than the anxiety they felt for the safety of their families 
and friends, who were being abused and insulted by a heartless 
mob, even while making arrangements to leave the State. Still 
there were occasional glimpses of sunshine breaking through 
the clouds. Some of the faithful brethren called occasionally, 
bringing them the news from their families and their people, 
and the progress being made in the preparations to leave the 
State. ' Letters also from their families were brought to them, 
so that they were not altogether cut off from that sweet com- 
munion which affection breeds. Nor was the Lord unmindful 
of them, but he communed with them, and through the 
Prophet Joseph some of the noblest revelations ever given to 
The Church were received in that gloomy stone prison known 
as Liberty jail.* 

Nor were Joseph and his companions neglectful in making 
every proper effort to obtain justice from the State authorities. 
On the contrary they exhausted every means their minds could 
conceive of to regain their liberty. They petitioned the legisla- 
ture, but without availing anything. Failing here, they peti- 
tioned the supreme court of the State twice for a writ of hab- 
eas corpus, but each time the petition was denied by Judge 
Reynolds, who subsequently became governor of the State. 



* See Doc. & Cov. Sec. 121, 122 and 123. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 271 

They then petitioned the county court, and in about thre^ . 
weeks afterwards Judge Tumham came into their prison and 
said he had permitted Sidney Rigdon to get bail, but he had to 
do it in the night; and that he would have to make his escape in 
the night as his enemies had sworn they would kill him if they 
could find him. The judge said that he dared not ad- 
mit the others to bail, lest it should cost him his own life, as 
well as theirs. The judge informed the prisoners that the whole 
scheme for the expulsion from the State of the "Mormon" peo- 
ple was arranged early in the spring, and that every officer in 
the State from the governor down was connected with the plot. 
He said the governor was now heartily sick of the whole transac- 
tion and would grant them a release if he dared; but the matter 
had gone beyond his control. However, the judge bid the 
prisoners to be of good cheer, as the governor had arranged a 
plan for their escape. 

In April the prisoners were taken to Daviess County, where 
they expected to be tried. Here they found Judge Thomas C. 
Birch on the bench — formerly the prosecuting attorney for the, 
State in the ex parte examination of the Prophet and his com- 
panions before Judge King at Richmond, and the man who was 
connected with the court-martial that condemned them to be 
shot in the public square at Far West. They were arraigned 
by a grand jury, composed of men connected with the massacre 
at Haun's Mill, some of whom, while under the influence of liquor, ' 
boasted of their deeds of cruelty at that horrible butchery. 
This grand jury did double service. During the day it acted as 
a court of inquiry, at night members of it were chosen by 
turns to act as a guard over the prisoners! 

After ten days passed in this manner, the jury reported in- 
dictments against the prisoners, for "treason, murder, arson, 
theft and stealing." 

The prisoners asked for a change of venue to Marion County. 
That was denied, but one was given them to Boone County, 



272 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

and Judge Birch made out the mittimus without date, name, or 
place; and the prisoners in charge of the sheriff and four other 
men and a two horse team and wagon started for Boone County. 
Passing through Diahman the prisoners were allowed to 
purchase two horses of the guard, giving some clothing for one, 
and their note for the other. The third day out from Gallatin 
three of the guards and the sheriff got drunk and went to bed. 
The sheriff, previously having shown the prisoners the mittimus 
made out by Judge Birch, now also informed them that Birch 
had told him not to take the prisoners to Boone County. After 
exposing the plan that had been laid for their escape by the 
authorities, the sheriff assured the prisoners that he should take 
a good drink of whiskey and go to bed, and they could do as 
they pleased. Accordingly w.hen all the guards but one were 
asleep, that one, who, by the way, was sober as well as awake, 
assisted them to mount their horses and escape. Ten days later 
they arrived among their friends in Illinois. . The Prophet in a 
signed summary of the persecutions endured by himself and his 
people in Missouri says: — 

Before leaving Missouri I had paid the lawyers at Richmond 
thirty-four thousand dollars in cash, lands, &c.; one lot which I let 
them have, in Jackson County, for seven thousand dollars, they were 
soon offered ten thousand dollars for it, but would not accept it. For 
other vexatious suits which I had to contend against, the few months 
I was in the State, I paid lawyers' fees to the amount of about six- 
teen thousand dollars, making in all about fifty thousand dollars, for 
which I received very little in return; for sometimes they were 
afraid to act on account of the mob, and sometimes they were so 
drunk as to incapacitate them for business. But there were a few 
honorable exceptions. 

Among those who have been the chief instruments and leading 
characters in the unparalleled persecutions against The Church of 
Latter-day Saints, the following stand conspicuous, viz.: Generals 
Clark, Wilson and Lucas; Colonel Price, and Cornelius Gilliam; Cap- 



THE MISSaUEI PERSECUTIONS. 



273 



tain Bogart also, whose zeal in the canae of oppression and injustice 
was unequalled, and whose delight has been to rob> murder and 
fipread devastation among the saints. He stole a valuable horse, 
saddle and bridle from me, which cost two hundred dollars, and then 
sold the same to General Wilson. On understanding this, I applied 
to General Wilson for the horse, who assured me, upon the honor of 
a gentleman and an officer, that I should have the horse returned to 
me; but this promise has not been fulfilled. 

All the threats, murders and robberies, which these officers have 
been gfuilty of, are entirely overlooked by the executive of the 
State; who^ to hide his owu iniquity, must of course shield and pro- 
tect those whom he employed to carry into effect his murderous par- 



I was in their hands, as a prisoner, about six months; but not- 
withstanding their determination to destroy me, with the rest of my 
brethren who were with me, and although at three different times 
(as I was informed) we were sentenced to be shot, without the least 
shadow of law (as we were not military men), and had the time and 
place appointed for that purpose, yet through the mercy of God, in 
answer to the prayers of the saints, I have been preserved and 
delivered out of their hands, and can again enjoy the society of my 
friends and brethren, whom I love, and to whom I feel united in 
bonds that are stronger than death; and in a State where I believe 
the laws are respected, and whose citizens are humane and chari- 
table. 

During the time I was in the hands of my enemies, I must say, 
that although I felt great*anxiety respecting my family and friends, 
who were so inhumanly treated and abused, and who had to mourn 
the loss of their husbands and children who had been slain, and, after 
having been robbed of nearly all that they possessed, were driven 
from their homes, and forced to wander as strangers in a strange 
country, in order that they might save themselves and their little 
ones from the destrnction they were threatened with in Missouri^ yet 
so far as I was concerned, I felt perfectly calm, and resigned to the 
will of my Heavenly Father. 1 knew my innocency, an well as that 
of the saints, and that we had done nothing to deserve such treat- 
ment from the hands of onr oppressors. Consequently. I could look 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



to that God who haa the hearts of all men in his hands, and who 
had saved me frequently from the gates of death, for deliverance; 
and notwithstanding that every avenue of escape seemed to be entirely 
closed, and death stared me in the face^ and that my destruction was 
determined npon, as far as man was concerned, yet» from my first 
entrance into the camp, I felt an aasnrance that I, with my brethren 
and oor families, would be delivered. Yea, that still small voice, 
which has so often whispered consolation to my soul, in the depth of 
sorrow and distress, bade me be of good cheer, and promised deliv- 
erance, which gave me great comfort. And although the heathen 
raged, and the people imagined vain things, yet the Lord of Hosts, 
the God of Jacob, was my refuge; and when I cried unto him in the 
day of trouble, he delivered me; for which 1 call upon ray soul, 
and all that is within me, to bless and praise his holy name. For 
although I was "troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, 
but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not 
destroyed," 

The conduct of the Saints, under their accumulated wrongs and 
sufferings, has been praiseworthy; their courage in defending their 
brethren from the ravages of the mobs; their attachment to the 
cause of truth under circumstances the most trying and distressing 
which humanity can possibly endure; their love to each other; their 
readiness to afford assistance to oie and my brethren who were con- 
fined in a dungeon; their sacrifices in leaving Missouri, and assisting 
the poor widows and orphans, and securing them houses in a more 
hospitable land; all conspire to raise them in the estimation of all 
good and virtuous men, and has secured them the favor and approba- 
tion of Jehovah, and a name as imperishable as eternity. And their 
virtuous deeds and heroic actions, while in defense of truth and their 
brethren, will be fresh and blooming when the names of their 
oppressors shall be either entirely forgotten, or only remembered for 
their barbarity and cruelty. 

Their attention and affection to me, while in prison, will ever be 
remembered by me; and when I have seen them thrust away and 
abused by the jailer and guard, when they came to do any kind 
offices, and to cheer our minds while we were in the gloomy prison- 
house, gave me feelings which I cannot describe; while those who 



THE MISSOURI PBRSBOUTIONS. 275 

wished to insult and abuse us by their threats and blasphemous lan- 
guage, were applauded, and had every encouragement given them. 

However, thank God, we have been delivered. And although 
some of our beloved brethren have had to seal their testimony with 
their blood, and have died martyrs to the cause of truth; yet 

Short though bitter was their pain, 
Everlasting is their joy. 

Let us not sorrow as "those without hope;" the time is fast 
approaching when we shall see them again and rejoice together, 
Without being afraid of wicked men. Yes, those who have slept in 
Christ shall he bring with him , when he shall come to be glorified 
in him, and admired by all those who believe; but to take vengeance 
upon his enemies and all those who obey not the gospel. 

At that time the hearts of the widows and fatherless shall be 
comforted, and every tear shall be wiped from off their faces. The 
trials they have had to pass through shall work together for their 
good, and prepare them for the society of those who have come up 
out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb. 

Marvel not, then, if you are persecuted; but remember the 
words of the Savior: "The servant is not above his Lord; if they 
have persecuted me, they will persecute you also;" and that all the 
afflictions through which the saints have to pass, are in fulfillment of 
the words of all the prophets which have spoken since the world 
began. 

We shall therefore do well to discern the signs of the times as 
we pass along, that the day of the Lord may not "overtake us as a 
thief in the night." Afflictions, persecutions, imprisonments and 
deaths, we must expect, according to the Scriptures, which tell us, 
that the blood of those whose souls were under the altar could not 
be avenged on them that dwell on the earth, until their brethren 
should be slain as they were. 

If these.. transactions had taken place among barbarians, under 
the authority of a despot, or in a nation where a certain religion is 
established according to law, and all others proscribed, then there 
might have been some shadow of defense offered. But can we real- 



276 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS, 



ize that in a land which is the cradle of liberty and equal righta, and 
where the voice of the conquerors who had vanquished our foes had 
scarcely died away upon our ears, where we frequently mingled with 
those who had stood amidst "the battle and the breeze/' and whose 
arms have been nerved in the defense of their coantry and liberty, 
whose institutions are the theme of philosophers and poets, and held 
up to the admiration of the whole civilized world — in the midst of 
all these scenes, with which we were surrounded, a persecution the 
most unwarrantable was commenced, and a tragedy the most dread- 
ful was enacted, hy a large portion of the inhabitants of one of 
those free and independent States which comprise this vast Eepuhlic; 
and a deadly blow was struck at the institutions for which our 
fathers had fought many a hard battle, and for which many a patriot 
bad shed bis blood, and suddenly was heard, amidst the voice of joy 
and gratitude for oar national liberty, the voice of mourning, lam- 
entation and woe? Yes! in this land, a mob, regardless of those laws 
for which so much blood had been spilled, dead to every feeling of 
virtue and patriotism which animated the bosom of free meil, fell 
upon a people whose religious faith was different from their own, 
and not only destroyed their homes, drove them away, and carried 
off their property, but murdered many a free-born son of America^ 
a tragedy which has no parallel in modern, and hardly in ancient, 
times; even the face of the red man would be ready to turn pale at 
the recital of it. It would have been some consolation, if the author- 
ities of the State had been innocent in this affair; but they are in- 
volved in the guilt thereof, and the blood of innocence, even of 
children^ cries for vengeance upon them, 

I ask the citizens of this vast Republic, whether such a state of 
things is to be suffered to pass unnoticed, and the hearts of widows, 
orphans and patriots to be broken, and their wrongs left without 
redress? No! I invoke the genius of our Constitution. I appeal 
to the patriotism of Americans, to stop this unlawful and unholy 
procedure; and pray that God may defend this nation from the 
dreadful effects of such outrages. 

Is there not virtue in the body politic? Will not the people rise 
in their majesty, and wit.h that promptitude and zeal which is so 
characteristic of them, discountenance such proceedings, by bringing 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 277 

the offenders to that punishment which they so richly deserve, and 
save the nation from that disgrace and ultimate ruin, which other- 
wise must inevitably fall upon it? 

Joseph Smith, Junior. 

The other prisoners who had been left in Richmond during 
this dreary winter, in the spring were taken to Columbia, in 
Boone County, aiid during the summer also escaped and joined 
their fellow exiles in Illinois. 



278 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

A PROPHECY THAT DID NOT FAIL. 

BEFORE concluding: this writing I wish to refer to a matter 
before briefly alluded to. On July 8, 1838, the Lord had 
given a revelation to the Twelve Apostles through Joseph, the 
Prophet, in which John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilf ord Woodruff 
and Willard Richards were chosen to fill the vacancies in the 
quorum of the Twelve, and the Apostles were to take leave of the 
saints in Far West on the twenty-sixth day of April, 1839, on 
the building spot of the Lord's House, and from thence depart 
over the great waters to preach the gospel in foreign lands. 

It had been the constant boast of the mob throughout the 
persecutions we have been relating, that this was one of "Joe 
Smith's" revelations, at least, that should not be fulfilled. 

Yet at the time appointed, the twenty-sixth day of April, 
five of the Twelve Apostles arrived there, having come from 
Quincy by various routes to elude the vigilance of their enemies, 
together with a number of Elders, High Priests and Priests. The 
five Apostles ordained Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith 
members of their quorum, thus making the number of Apos- 
tles present seven, a majority of the Twelve, and hence 
competent to transact business as a quorum. They also 
ordained a number to the office of Seventy. They excommuni- 
cated a number of persons from The Church; prayer was of- 
ered up by the Apostles in the order of their standing in the 
quorum. A hymn known to the saints as Adam-Ondi-Ahman 
was sung. After this hymn was sung, Elder Alpheus Cutler, the 
master-workman of the Lord's House, laid the south-east comer 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 279 

stone in its position, and then said, in consequence of the pecu- 
liar situation of the saints, it was deemed prudent to discontinue 
further labor on the House until the Lord should open the way 
for its completion. The Apostles then took leave of some sev- 
enteen saints, who were present, and started on their way to fill 
their missions beyond the great Atlantic Ocean. Thus was 
fulfilled that revelation in every particular, notwithstanding the 
boasts of the mob which said it should fail of fulfillment. So 
important do I deem the fulfillment of this prophecy, however, 
that I give here the official report of the proceedings of that 
meeting, signed by the president of it: — 

At a conference held at Far West by the Twelve, High Priests, 
Elders and Priests, on the twenty-sixth of April, 1839, the following 
resolution was adopted — 

Resolved: That the following persons be no more fellowshipped 
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but excommuni- 
cated from the same, viz.: — Isaac Russell, Mary Russell, John Good- 
son and wife, Jacob Scott, Senior, and wife, Isaac Scott, Jacob Scott, 
Junior, Ann Scott, Sister Walton, Robert Walton, Sister Cavanaugh, 
Ann Wanlass, William Dawson, Junior, and wife, William Dawson, 
Senior, and wife, George Nelson, Joseph Nelson and wife and mother, 
William Warnoch and wife, Jonathan Maynard, Nelson Maynard, 
George Miller, John Grigg and wife, Luman Gibbs, Simeon Gardner 
and Freeborn Gardner. 

The council then proceeded to the building spot of the Lord's 
House; when the following business was transacted — Part of a 
hymn was sung, on the mission of the Twelve. 

Elder Cutler, the master-workman of the House, then re-com- 
menced laying the foundation of the Lord's House, agreeably to rev- 
elation, by rolling up a large stone near the southeast corner. 

The following of the Twelve were present — Brigham Young, 
Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page and John Taylor, who 
proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith (who had 
been previously nominated by the First Presidency, accepted by the 
Twelve, and acknowledged by The Church) — to the office of the 



280 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

Twelve, to fill the places of those who are fallen. Darwin Chase 
and Norman Shearer (who had just been liberated from Richmond 
prison, where they had been confined for the cause of Jesus Christ,) 
were ordained to the office of the Seventies. 

The Twelve then offered up vocal prayer in the following order 
— Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, 
John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith. After which 
we sung Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and then the Twelve took their leave of 
the following saints, agreeably to the revelation, viz.: Alpheiis 
Cutler, Elias Smith, Norman Shearer, William Burton, Stephen Mark- 
ham, Shadrach Roundy, William 0. Clark, John W. Clark, Hezekiah 
Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard Howard, Mary Ann Peck, Artimesia 
Grainger, Martha Peck, Sarah Grainger, Theodore Thurley, Hyrum 
Clark and Daniel Shearer. 

Elder Alpheus Cutler then placed the stone before alluded to in 
its regular position, after which, in consequence of the peculiar situ- 
ation of the saints, he thought it wisdom to adjourn until some 
future time, when the Lord shall open the way; expressing his deter- 
mination then to proceed with the building; whereupon the confer- 
ence adjourned. 

Brigham Young, President. 

John Taylor, Clerk. 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 281 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

A state's shame. 

''f^HIS brings me to the close of the story of the Missouri Per- 
X secutions. We have seen a people start out under the direc- 
tion of the Lord to build up the City of Zion to his holy name; 
but because of their disobedience and failure to observe strictly 
those conditions upon which the Lord had promised them suc- 
cess in accomplishing so great a work, they were driven entirely 
from that county and state where that city is to be founded. 

We have seen a proud, sovereign state of the great Ameri- 
can Union, with a constitution that guaranteed the largest pos- 
sible religious and civil liberty to its citizens, ignore both the 
spirit and letter of that constitution. We have seen its oflScers 
shamefully violate the laws passed in pursuance of it; and from 
the chief executive down enter into plots to destroy the saints 
of God, or drive them from the State; in accomplishing which, 
they were guilty of the most cruel barbarity. It is no palliation 
of their offense to say that the saints had not strictly kept the 
commandments of God. Their offenses were against the laws of 
God rather than the laws of man; delinquencies that fell not un- 
der the power of the State to correct. So far as the State of 
Missouri was concerned, she was not justified in trampling on her 
own constiiution and laws, and permitting not only her people 
but the oflScers of the State to commit outrages against an 
innocent people that would put savages to the blush of 
shame. 

I impeach the State of Missouri before the Bar of Nine- 

18 



282 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 



teentli Century Civilization; and affirm that in the five years be- 
tween 1833 and 1838, she permitted aBd became a party to acts 
of robbery, violence and blood which are a disgrace to the 
age and its boasted spirit of progress and toleration, I charpje 
that Missouri was guilty of crimes the perpetration of which 
forbids the claim that in the United States of America, and m 
this enlightened centnry, there has been an abandonment of the 
barbarities of past ages. 

Before the great Bar of History, I impeach the State of 
Missouri. In the years from 1833 to 1838 there were com- 
mitted within her borders and against an unoffending, and law- 
abiding people, acts of shameful robbery, arson, mob- violence; 
willful, wanton slaughter of men, women and children; w^orst of 
all, rape upon virtuous wives and maidens; and, at the last, illegal 
banishment of some twelve thousand people from the State. For 
these crimes, repeatedly committed and numerous, no of- 
fender was ever brought to punishment by the State. On the 
contrary the machinery of its government w^as employed and its 
officers exerted themselves to further oppress the innocent suf- 
ferers; so that instead of being a means for their protection, the 
government was made an engine for their oppression; and its 
legislature turning a deaf ear to the story of their wrongs, made 
liberal appropriations from the State treasury to defray the ex- 
penses of those who committed the outrages against them and 
drove them from the State. 

I impeach the State of Missouri before the Bar of American 
Constitutions and Institutions; and charge that in the crimes per- 
mitted and by her officers perpetrated against the Latter- day Saints 
in the five years between 1833 and 1838, she both deserted and vio- 
lated the principles of government upon which the State is found- 
ed. By failing— nay, worse, by refusing at first to protect by the 
majesty and righteous execution of her laws, and next by be- 
coming an assailant and robber of the unoffending Latter-day 
Saints, she denied to them and deprived them of the right tc 



THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 283 

property, the right to pursue happiness, the right to be free, 
the right to worship God after the dictates of their own con- 
sciences. And by denying to them and depriving them of these 
rights, Missouri violated the fundamental principles of American 
government, and outraged American institutions. 

Lastly, I charge Missouri's historians, both those who have 
written the history of the counties in which the outrages I have 
detailed occurred, as well as the historians of the State at large, 
with havyig glazed over these deeds of infamy. They have either 
withheld or misrepresented the facts, and have descended so low 
as to become apologists for the State and the oflScers that could 
perpetrate and become a party to such acts of injustice, rapine 
and murder. 

The statements of fact in these pages are irrefutable and 
easy of verification. They can neither be successfully denied, 
gainsaid, nor explained away; nor can the impeachment of the 
State of Missouri before the Bar of History, Civilization or of 
American Institutions. The otherwise grand State of Missouri is 
stained with dishonor; because of her treatment of the Latter- 
day Saints on her escutcheon is to be seen the blotch of inno- 
cent blood unavenged. 

In undertaking the task of writing this history, the one thought 
above all others in my mind has been the desire to present to the 
youth of the Latter-day Saints, many of whose fathers passed 
through these trying scenes, with a circumstantial account of them 
that they might know how much was endured by their fathers for 
the truth's sake; that they might learn to prize it, not only for 
what it is in itself, but also to prize it to some degree for what it 
cost the fathers. But at the close of my task I find myself 
convinced that it is equally important that the people of Mis- 
souri and of the United States should have the plain facts pre- 
sented to them, that they may not unwittingly, as the general 
tendency now is, become in a manner parties to the crime by 
approving what was done in that period, and thus fall under the 



284 THE MISSOURI PERSECUTIONS. 

displeasure of God, whose words are equally strong against those 
who shed the blood of the saints and the prophets, and those who 
applaud such crimes. 



APPENDICES. 



APPENDIX I. 

"mormons" in JACKSON COUNTY. 

{Takm frmi the ** History of Jackson Count if, Missouri" pubHshed 
by Union Historical Co,, Kansas Ciitf^ Missouri^, 18B1, pp. 250 
to 269j indusive.) 

AVEEY prominent feature of tbe early liistory of Jackson County 
was the trouble between the "Mormons" and other citizens dur- 
ing 1831 and 1832, which led to the expulsion of the former from the 
county during the latter part of the year 1832. This sect was brought 
into existence on the sixth day of April, 1830, near Manchester, New 
York. The first society consisted of six persons— Joseph Smith, Sr,, 
Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith, Samuel Smith, Oliver Cowdery and 
Joseph Knight. The three Smiths last mentioned were brothers, and 
sons of Joseph Smith, Sr., and Joseph Smith, Jr,» was the reputed 
author of the new faith, and is the prophet of ''Mormon" history. 
Tbis Smith family came from Vermont, where Joseph, Jr., was born 
at Sharon, in Windsor County, December ■23rd, 1805. They are rep- 
resented by their neighbors, both in Vermont an<l New York, to have 
been a shiftless, worthless family. The parents are represented as 
having been dishonest, unreliable, ignorant and superstitious, and the 
sons seemed to have inherited all these peculiarities. A part of the 
business of the father was that of "water witch," in which capacity 
he went about the country with a hazel rod divining where water 
could be found by digging wells, by the writhings of tbe rod when 
held in the hands in a peculiar manner. 

Young Joseph is reported to have been a wild, reckless boy, dis- 



286 



APPENDICES. 



honest, untruthful and intemperate. As he grew toward adult age 
he adopted hia father's profession of *VateT- witching," and after- 
wards added to it the more practical business of digging the wells he 
thus located. While in this capacity he discovered a smooth, round 
stone of peculiar shape while digging a well for a Mr. Chase near 
Manchester. This he adopted as a *'peep stone," and pretended that by 
placing it in his hat in a peculiar way it had the miraculous power of 
revealing to him where lost and stolen articles could be found, and he 
then added this to big previous miraculous business of "water-witch- 
ery." 

During the decade from 1820 to 1830 a great religious revival 
swept over the country, and gave rise to the phenomena known as 
**jerk3!" This excitement raged greatly in western New York and 
in the neighborhood of the Smiths. Joseph, Jr.^ and some of his 
sisters and brothers became converted at one of the revivals, but 
Joseph was greatly vexed in spirit by the uncertainty as to which of 
the sects was the right one. He became a constant reader of the 
Bible for a time, but subsequently fell again into bis old ways, and 
later events indicate that be fell also into some new ones, which have 
extended the peculiarities of his nature much beyond the sphere of 
hia personal influence and beyond the period of his time. He put forth 
the claim that in September, 1823, God sent messengers to him to say 
that be was forgiven for bis sins. Again in 1826, he claimed an angel 
visited him with the information that in the Hill Cumorah, not far 
from Manchester, were hidden certain golden plates which he was to 
unearth and translate. Tbese plates were exhumed in September, 
1826, as Joseph represents it, "with a mighty display of celestial 
machinery," and were delivered hy the angels to bim. These platea 
were afterwards translated by Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, a school- 
master, and one Martin Harris, and published in the early part of the 
year 1830 as the **Book of Mormon." 

Another account of the origin of the Book of Mormon is that it 
was written as a historical romance, to account for the Indiana in 
America, in 1812, by a Mr. Solomon Spaulding, a retired preacher, 
and presented to Mr. Patterson, a bookseller in Pittsburg for publica- 
tion, together with a preface representing it to have been taken from 
plates dug up in Ohio. Mr* Patterson did not think the enterprise 



APPENDICES. 287 

would pay, and hence did not publish it; but Sidney Ri^don, after- 
wards quite noted in early "Mormon" history, was then at work in 
the office of Mr. Patterson, and it is suggested that he stole the manu- 
scripts, and had his full share in bringing "Mormonism" into existence, 
though he did not appear in connection with it for some months after 
the organization of the first society. 

But, however the book may have come, Joseph Smith appears 
from the first as prophet, and directed the movements of the new 
sect by what he claimed to be divine revelations, and put forth the 
most extravagant claims for himself and his prophetic powers. This 
was a time particularly favorable for the cultivation of such a super- 
stition. The religious ideas prevailing at the time of the religious 
excitement referred to, embraced the belief in the direct dealings of 
God with man, very much after the manner represented in ancient 
Jewish history, which made such pretenses as these peculiarly liable 
to be accepted. Immediately after the organization of the first society, 
as above stated, there was an administration of the sacrament, and 
the laying on of hands for the "Gift of the Holy Ghost." Five days 
afterward, on the 11th of May, Oliver Cowdery preached the first 
sermon on the new faith, and before the close of the month, at Coles- 
ville, Browne* County, New York, there was what was claimed by the 
new sect to be miracles performed. From this the new sect took 
strong root with the ignorant and superstitious, and it gained mem- 
bers rapidly, notwithstanding the prophet was several times arrested 
for misdemeanors. In August, Paxley P. Plattef and Sidney Rigdon 
appeared as "Mormons," and soon after Orson Platte J was converted 
and baptized into the new sect. 

The work of propagandation now became very active and effect- 
ive. Smith put forth a revelation that mundane things were about to 
be brought to an end, a claim that was likely to strike terror into the 
hearts of the ignorant and superstitious, after the strong religious 
excitement that had been prevailing, and with the ideas of hell and 
the future state at that time current in theology. This was industri- 



*This should be Broome County, 
t Should be Parley? Pratt. 
t Should be Orson Pratt. 



288 



APPENDICES. 



onsly proclaimed by the preachers, and accompanied with the narra- 
tion of Smith's miracle, and the injunctioti to seek safety in the new 
Church, Its effect upon the ignoran t and superstitious was very great, 
and by October, 1830, the society numbered fifty, and by June, 1831, 
about two thousand, Rigdon having taken up liis residence near 
Kirtland, Ohio, bad gathered around him- about fifty very fanatical 
people. In January, 1831, he visited Smith in New York, and ?;mith 
returned with hiin to Kirtland, and soon afterward there was a gather- 
ing of all the adherents at Kirtland. This is known in '*Mormon^' 
history as the "First Hegira/* 

The sect, at this time, as at all others, was composed of ignorant, 
superstitious and fanatical people prepared by these qualities to ac- 
cept anything marvelous that might be told them, or to do anything 
to which they might be directed by one imposed upon them as a 
prophet or something demanded of them by the Lord. 

Such were the character of the people whom Smith attempted 
to settle in Jackson County, In June, 1831, Smith put forth a revela- 
tion to the effect that the final gathering place of the saints, which 
name they had now assumed, was to be in Missouri. Accordingly he 
set out with a few elders for the new land of promise, arriving at 
Independence in July. Here he put forth another revelation stating 
that this was the land, or as he put it, "the Zion that should never be 
moved," and that the whole land was ''solemnly dedicated to the Lord 
and his saints." They began at once to build and at first erected a 
log house in Kaw township about twelve miles from Independence. On 
the 2nd of August, he gave out another revelation that the site of the 
great temple was three hundred yards west of the court house in 
Independence* and accordingly on the 3rd of August the spot was 
taken possession of by Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Edward Par- 
tridge, W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and Joseph Coe, 
and dedicated with great ceremony, and followed by an "accession of 
gifts'' from God. The next day, August 4th, another and larger party 
arrived from Kirtland, and the first '^general conference" in the Land 
of Zion was immediately held. During this conference Smith gave 
utterance to another revelation, stating that the whole land should be 
theirs and should not be obtained "but by purchase or by blood." The 
situation, surroundings and leadership of these people seemed to ira- 



APPENDICES* 



289 



press their ignorant and superstitious mindwS with the idea that they 
were a chosen people designed in the purpoaes of God, to effect some 
great reformation in the world, and they seemed to have imagined 
that they occupied a similar position to that assigned by the Bible to 
the ancient Jews at the time of their escape from Egyptian bondage 
and replantiDg in Canaan, From this extravagance the way to others 
was open, easy and natural. In their poverty, the purchase of the 
"whole land" by them was manifestly not intended, and hence they 
seemed to expect that in some way the Lord would establish them in 
the possession of Missouri without that. Assuming this that they 
were the holy people of the Lord^ that the Lord was the real owner 
of all things, and that all his possessions were free to them, they were 
not calculated to be respectful of the rights and interest of their non- 
"Marmon" neighbors But thoufjk no overt acts of tramffression upon 
suck rights were being committed* the rapidly gathering members of 
the ''Mormons," their ignorance, poverty and fanaticism, and the boast- 
fulness and assurance with which they reiterated their belief in their 
destined possession of the country, backed by Smith's significant reve- 
lations and the dishonesty of the methods of the leaders, made the 
new sect an object of profound solicitude to the people. 

In August following the "general conference," Smith and Rigdon 
returned to Kirtland, where they established a mill and a bank, the 
latter being an irresponsible "wild cat" concern that failed soon after 
its notes were well afloat, which failure was attended by another reve- 
lation to Smith, directing him and Rigdon to depart at night for Mis- 
souri. 

Soon after their arrival at Kirtland in August, W, W. Phelps was 
appointed to purchase a press and establish a Church paper in Inde- 
pendence, to be called the Eimning and Morning Star. The prospectus 
for this paper appeared in February, 1832, and the paper itself in 
June following. On the 25th of March, 1832, Smith and Rigdon, 
while away from home, were seized by a mob and tarred, feathered 
and beaten for attempting to establish communism, and for forgery 
and dishonest dealings. In April, 1832, Smith being at Independence, 



* Italics are mine. — ^* 



290 



APPENDICES. 



a council was held and the printing press set up with religious cere- 
monies. In June the paper made its appearance and further excited 
the apprehensions of the citizens by an article on 'Tree People of 
Color," which was understood by the slave-holdiog population of Mis* 
souri to mean that the new sect were what was then appropriately 
called **abolitionists," and which in the excitement of that time about 
slavery, were as obnoxious to slave-holders as though they possessed 
the *'cloven foot." This was a further cause of apprehension and led 
to a reply in a pamphlet entitled, "Beware of False Prophets!" In 
the spring of 183S, the "Mormons'' numbered fifteen hundred in Jack- 
son County. They had nearly taken possession of Independence, and 
were rapidly extending their settlements. They grew bolder as they 
grew stronger, and daily proclaimed to the older settlers that the Lord 
had given them the whole land of Missouri; that bloody wars would 
extirpate all other sects from the country; that it would be **one gore 
of blood from the Mississippi to the border," and that the few who 
were left unslain would be the servants of the saints, who would own 
all the property in the country. 

At the same time they fell into equal extravagance regarding 
spiritual things, and declared thf;mselves ^'kings and priests of the 
Most High God," and all other religious sects as reprobates, the 
creation of the devil designed to speedy destruction, and that all 
hut themselves were doomed, cast away Gentiles, worse than the 
heathen and unfit to live. They notified all '^Gentiles" who were 
building new houses and opening new farms that it was needleaa, 
that the Lord would never allow them to enjoy the fruits of their 
labor and that in a few months the "Gentiles" would have neither 
name nor place in Missouri, 

At the same time that these extravagances were thus indulged, 
there does not appear to have been any more lawlessness among them 
or by them than would result from any equal number of low, igno- 
rant people, so that while tbeir presence was rapidly becoming insuffer- 
able, they ivere doing nothing thai would warrant their legal expulsion.* 
Still their numbers constantly increased by accessions from the east 
and from time to time large and enthusiastic meetings were held. In 



* Italics are mm^,-—R. 



APPENDICES. 



291 



addition to their paper tliej liad established a Chiircb store in Inde- 
pen^lence, which was kept by Bishop Partridge, Diring the spring 
and summer it began to be manifest that they would be strong; enough 
at the fall election to control the election of officers, and the other- 
settlers could not regard, except with grave apprehension, the filling 
of the eoun+^y offices by members of such a sect. These apprehensions 
were intensified by scandalous stories, which about this time began 
to reach Missouri about the leaders of the sect in Ohio, and as the 
feeling of apprehension increased, there arose a state of restlessness 
and friction closely bordering upon open hostility. However, hey ond 
some mutual petty annoyances, such aa throwing stones at houses, 
breaking down fences, etc., there was no open action taken until the 
20th of July, when a number of citizens, about four hundred, as- 
sembled to take action on the situation. 

The following account of this meeting is taken from a report 
published in the Western Monitor, at that time published by Weston 
J\ Birch, at Fayette, Mo.: 

''The meeting was organized by calling Colonel Richard Samnson 
to the chair, and appointing James H. Flournoy and Colonel ^Samuel 
D, Lucas as secretaries. 

"Messrs, Russell Hicks, Esq., Robert Johnson, Henry Chi Ids, Esq., 
Colonel James Hambriglet, Thomas Hudspeth, Joel F. Chiles, and 
James M. Hunter, were appointed to draft an address; the meeting 
then adjourned and convened again, when the following was pre- 
sented: 

^'Tbis meeting, professing to act not from the excitement of the 
moment, but under a deep and abiding conviction, that the occasion 
is one that calls for cool deliberation, as well as energetic action, 
deem it proper to lay before the public an expose of our peculiar 
situation, in regard to this singular sect of pretended Christians, and 
a solemn declaration of our unalterable determination to amend it. 

"The evil is one that no one could have foreseen, and it is there* 
fore unprovided for by the laws, and the delays of legislation would 
put the mischief beyond remedy. 

"But littte more than two years ago some two or three of these 
people made their appearance in the upper Missouri, and they now 
number some twelve hundred souls in this county, and each succes- 



292 



APPENDICES. 



sive autumn and springf pours fortli its swarms among us, with a 
gradual falling of the character of those who compose them, until it 
seems that those communities from which they come were flooding 
na with the very dregs of their composition. Elevated, ae they mostly 
are, but little above the condition of our blacks, either m regard to 
property or education, they have become a subject of much anxiety 
on that point, serious and well-grounded complaints having already 
been made of their corrupting influence on our slaves. 

^ « « * « « « 

"When we reflect on the extensive field in which the sect is oper- 
ating, and that there exists in every country a leaven of superstition 
that embraces with avidity notions the most extravagant and un- 
heard-of, and whatever can be gleaned by them from the purlieus of 
vice and the abides of ignorance, it is to be cast like a waif into our 
social circles. It requires no gift of prophecy to teO that the day is 
not far distant when the civil government of the county wnll be in 
their hands; when the sheriff, the justices and the county judges will 
be 'Mormons,' or persons wishing to court their favor from motives 
of interest or ambition. 

"What would be the fate of our lives and property in the hands 
of jurors and witnesses who do not blush to declare, and would not 
upon occasion hesitate to swear that they have wrought miracles, 
and have been the subjects of miraculous and supernatural cures j 
have conversed with God and his angels, and possess and exercise the 
gifts of divination and of unknown tongues, and fired with the pros- 
pect of obtaining inheritances without money and without price, may 
be better imagined than described. 



"And we do hereby most solemnly declare, 

"That no *Mormon' shall in future move into and settle in this 
county. 

"That those now here shall give a definite pledge of their inten- 
tion, within a reasonable time, to move out of the county, shall be 
allowed to remain unmolested until they have snfficient time to sell 
their property and close their business without any material sacrifice. 

'^hat the editor of the Star be required forthwith to close hia 
office, etc. ♦♦♦*♦* 



APPENDICES. 



293 



"That those who fail t{» comply with these requisitions be referred 
to those of their brethren who have the gift of divination and of un- 
known tongues to inform them of the lot that awaits them," 

Compliance with these demands being refused, the people aa- 
sembled, tore down the printing office, scattering the materials and 
paper on the gronnd, and took Bishop Partridge, and a man named 
Charles Alien, to the public square, where they stripped and tarred 
and featheretl them. Mr, Gilbert, who was now connected with the 
store, agreed to close it, and the mob then dispersed until the twenty- 
third. 

On the 23rd of July, this convention of citizens again convened 
and a committee was appointed to confer with the **Mormon" leaders. 
This committee was met by Messrs. Phelps, Partridge, Gilbert, and 
Messrs. Covil, Whitmer and Morley, elders of the sect. Between them 
an agreement was made to the ef ect that Oliver Cowdery, W, W. 
Phelps, William McLellin, Edward Partridge, Lyman Wight, Simeon 
Carter, Peter and John Whitmer, and Harvey Whitlock, were to re- 
move from the county on or before January 1, 1834, and were to use 
their influence to secure the removal of all the saints— one-half by 
January Ist, the other half by April 1, 1834; John Corril and Alger- 
non Gilbert were to be allowed to remain as agents to settle up the 
business of those removing; the Star was not again to be publisked 
nor any other press set up in the county; Mr. Phelps and Mr, Par- 
tridge, if their families removed by January 1st, were to be allowed 
to come and go in settling up their business. The committee of citi- 
zens pledged themselves to use their influence to see that no violence 
was to be used against the saints while compliance to the agreement 
was being observed. 

This agreement as reported to the meeting, was unanimously 
adopted by the citizens, and the minutes signed by the chairman, 
Richard Sampson, and the secretaries, S. D. Lucas, J, H. Flournoy, 

In September Orson Hyde and W, W. Phelps were appointed by 
the "Mormons'* as a delegation to Governor Dunklin, then Governor of 
Missouri, and to represent the affairs already recited, and to ask for 
protection. They prepared and presented to the Governor, October 
8th, a long memorial setting forth a long list of grievances, wrongs 
and intimidations which they had suffered at the hands of the people 



294 



APPENDICES. 



of Jackson County. The Attorney-General being absent, Governor 
Dunklin declined to take any action until hia return, so that it waa 
not until the 19th of October that they received his decision. The 
case presented to him was an ex parte one» and it received a decision 
which led the ''Mormon" leaders to rely upon his protection. He 
denied the right of any citizens to take into their own hands the 
redress of the grievances, and recommended the "Mormons" to appeal 
to the civil courts by affidavit and legal process fv>r redress of the 
wrongs complained of^ and promised them a faithful enforcement of 
the laws. 

In pursuance of this action of the Governor, the leaders 
resolved not to abide by the agreement made with the people in 
July. Preparations for removal from the county were stopped and 
their leaders engaged Messrs. Woods, Reese, Doniphan and Atchison 
to defend them and prosecute for them in the courts. This aroused 
the citizens again, and although the "Mormons" had not so violated the 
law as to enable the people to proceed against them by legal process, 
the prospect, from the facts already stated, were regarded by the 
people aa so extraordinary as to warrant extraordinary measures. 
Their safety, it appeared to them, depended upon the expulsion of 
the "Mormons" from the county by force, and they at once began 
preparations to that end. 

On the 31st day of October, a party of forty or fifty armed 
men, without other warrant than their own judgment of the require- 
ments of the situation, visited a settlement of the ''Mormons'* on the 
Big Blue, destroyed ten houses and whipped a number of men. On 
the night of the lat of November another party visited a settlement 
about twelve miles southwest of Independence, where Parley P. 
Pratt had assembled a force of about sixty men; here they encamped 
for the night and put out guards, two of which, Robert Johnson and 
a man named Harris, had an encounter with Pratt, whom one of 
them knocked down with a musket. They were then captured by 
Pratt's party and detained over night. The same night they were 
attacked In Independence and houses were stoned, doors broken 
down, etc. Part of A. S. Gilbert's house was pulled down and the 
doors of the store were broken in and the goods scattered on the 
street. A party of "Mormons," summoned from a neighboring settle- 



APPE^^>ICES. 



295 



ment, saved part of the gaoda and attempted to have a man named 
Richard McCarty arrested for participation in the affair, but the 
Justice of the Peace applied to, Samuel Weston, refused to iggue a 
warrant for the purpose. At the same time other **Mormon" settle* 
menta were visited hy the people and great consternation was caused 
thereby among the women and children, the men having fled, but no 
injury was done them. The next day» November 2nd, all the Inde- 
pendence ''Mormons," numbering about thirty families, left town and 
gathered together for protection. The same day people made 
another attack on the Big Blue settlement, when they unroofed 
another house. They attacked also another settlement about six 
miles from Independence. The next day, November 3rd, Joshua 
Lewis, Hiram Page and two other *'Mormons'^ went to Lexington to 
aak protection from the circuit court, which was refused; while 
others applied to Justice of the Peace Silvers at Independence, with 
a like result, A number of persons at this time visited the "Mor- 
mons" and advised them to leave the country, as the people were so 
incensed at them that their lives were in danger. This was Sunday, 
and the "Mormons" had a rumor among them that a general massacre 
was impending for Monday. 

When Monday came the citizens collected and took possession of 
a ferry belonging to the '*Mormons" across the Blue, hut they soon 
abandoned it and gathered in greater numbers at W^ilson's store 
about one mile west of IL A party of *'Mormons, ' numbering about 
thirty, started from an adjacent settlement to help those on the 
Blue, but hearing of the assembly of the citizens at the store, fled 
through the cornfields and were pursued by the citizens. Later in 
the day a party of about thirty arrived from the settlement on the 
prairie where Pratt had encountered the guards a few nights before, 
and between them and the citizens a fight occurred, in which Hugh 
L, Brozeal and Thos. Linville of the citizens were killed and a "Mor- 
mon" named Barber fatally wounded. This fight created the greatest 
excitement throughout the county. 

The same day Richard McCarty caused Gilbert and Whitney to 
be arrested for assaulting him in Independence Saturday night, and 
for caising Ms arrest and attempting to prosecute him afterward. 
The situation of affairs now was that no '^Mormon" could receive jus- 



296 



APPENDICES. 



tice from tlie public courts any more than a citizen could have 
received justice in a trial by "Mormons." The conduct of the **Mor- 
mona" had so disrupted public peace and ordeir that the county was 
virtually in the bands of a mob. In this situation Samuel C. Owens, 
clerk of the county court, advised Gilbert and Whitney to go to jail 
as a means of protection, and they, together with W* E. McLellin 
and a Mr, Coville and Morley, and one other **Mormon," took this 
advice. During the night, Gilbert, Coville and Morley were taken 
out for the purpose of an interview with their fellow "Mormons," 
but on being returned next morning were fired upon by a party of 
six or seven citizens. Coville and Morley ran and escaped, but Gil- 
bert was retained by the sheriff. The balance of the party were 
released next day. 

The next day, November 5th, brought still more exciting times, 
for rumors from both sides exaggerated the scenes that had trans- 
pired; the citizens gathered to the number of hundreds from all 
parts of the county; the "Mormons," too, were rallying, one hundred 
of them collecting about a mile west of Independence, There they 
halted, waiting to learn the condition of affairs. They were 
informed that the militia had been ordered out for their protection 
and that Colonel Pitcher was in command. Upon application to this 
officer the **Mormons" were told that there was no alternative, they 
must leave the county forthwith; and deliver into Col. Pitcher's 
hands certain ones of their number to be tried for murder; and to 
give up their arms. To these demands the "Mormons" yielded. The 
arms, abont fifty guns of all sorts, were surrendered; the men pres- 
ent accused of being in the skirmish the evening before, were given 
up for trial; and after being kept in durance for a day and night 
CoL Pitcher took them into a cornfield near by and said to them, 
''Clear outl" 

Following this event small parties went over the country warn- 
ing the "Mormons" away wherever found, and not unfrequently using 
violence to the men when any of tbem were caught. This was con- 
tinued by the infuriated citizens until the "Mormons" had all fled the 
county. They attempted to find refuge in adjoining counties, but 
Clay was the only one that would receive tbem. 

This was the end of **Mormoni8m" in Jackson County, but not 



APPENDICES. 



297 



the end of the Mormon trouble, for through the influence of their 
attorneys, and in the absence of such open violations of law as 
would have warranted their legal expulsion from the county, thef 
were able to impress Governor Dunklin with the idea that they were 
then the victims of a ruffianly mob and were being persecuted on 
account of their religion. Hence for several years afterward there 
was a sort of support given them by the governor, which, though 
insufficient to reinstate them in Jackson County, was sufficient to 
inspire them with the hope, and caused them to expect and to some 
extent propose to return. This kept up the trouble. 

Whether the people were justified in so employing violence t« 
rid themselves of an obnoxious sect, the members of which had not 
BO violated the law as to warrant their legal expulsion, was shown 
by the events of the next few years. The **Mormona" settled finally 
in Clay, Carroll, Ray, Caldwell and Daviess counties, where they 
grew strong and prosperous, and, as in Jackson County, became cor- 
respondingly arrogant and unbearable. They took political posses- 
sion of Daviess County, and there and in Caldwell County began to 
put in practice the things the people in Jackson County had appre- 
hended and to prevent which they expelled them from the county. 
After making for themselves a record for treason, arson, burglary, 
theft, murder, and a long list of other crimes, they were finally, in 
1838, expelled from the State by Governor Boggs, whom they 
attempted afterward, on the 6th day of May. 1S42, to assassinate 
while sitting in his house at Independence.* 

A quite detailed account of their efforts to get back to Jackson 
County, and of the action of Governor Dunklin, and the negotiations 
between them and the people of Jackson County, has been furnished 
in the following, which, it will be observed, is as favorable to the 
^'Mormons" as possible: 

November 21st, R, W.Wells, attorney-general of Missouri, wrote 
to the legal counsel employed by the saints, that he felt warranted 
in advising them that in case the "Mormons" expelled from Jackson 
County desired to be reinstated, he had no doubt the governor would 



♦ For an investigation of this subject see "Rise aud Fall of 
Nauvoo," by the author of "'Missouri Persecutions," 
to 



298 



APPENDICES. 



Bend them military aid. He further advised that the "Mormons' 
might organize into militia and receive public arms for their owij 
defense. Jiidge Rjland also wrote Attorney Amos Reese, stating 
that the governor had inquired of him respecting the "outrageons 
acts of unparalleled violence that have lately happened in Jackson 
County;" and wished to know whether the *'Mormons" were willing 
to take "legal steps against the citizens of Jackson County." 

He further wished to know whether a writ issued by him upon the 
oath of Joshua Lewis and Hiram Page had been handed to the sheriff 
for service; and if so what was the fate of the writ This letter was 
dated November 24, 1833. 

In answer to the governor's inquiries Mr. Gilbert wrote that of- 
ficer on November 29th, giving the following reasons why an im- 
mediate court of inquiry could not be held. **Our Church is scattered 
in every direction: some in Van Buren^ (anew county;) a part in this 
county, (Clay;) and a part in Lafayette, Ray, etc. Some of our princi- 
pal witnesses would be women and children, and while the rage of 
the mob continues, it would be impossible to gather them in safety to 
Independence, And that your excellency may know of the unabat- 
ing fury with ivhich the last remnant of our people remaining in that 
county are pursued at this time, I here state that a few families, per- 
haps fifteen to twenty, who settled themselves more than two years 
ago on the prairie, about fifteen miles from the county seat of Jack- 
son County, had hoped from the obscurity of their location that they 
might escape the vengeance of the enemy through the winter; conse- 
quently they remained on their plantations, receiving occasionally a 
few individual threats, till last Sunday, when a mob made their ap- 
pearance among them; some with pistols cocked and presented to their 
breasts, commanding to leave the county in three days, or they would 
tear their houses down over their heads, etc." * * ♦ 

"An immediate court of inquiry called while our people are thus 
situated, would give our enemies a decided advantage in point of 
testimony, while they are in possession of their homes, and ours also; 
with no enemy in the county to molest or make them afraid." 

This letter wag read and concurred in by Mr. Reese. 

Those people threatened on the 24th, as stated by Mr. Gilbert 
fled into Clay County and encamped on the MiBsouri. 



APPENDICES. 



299 



December 6tli, an additional memorial of facte and petition for 
aid, was aent to Governor Dunklin, setting forth the facta of their 
dispersion, and eigned by six of the elders of The Church, A letter 
accompanied the petition, informing his excellency of the wish and in- 
tention of the saints to return to their homes, if assured of safety and 
protection. 

On Monday, December 24th, four families living near Independ- 
ence, whose age and penury prevented their removal in haste, were 
driven from their homes; the chimneys of their houses were thrown 
down, and the doors and windows broken in. Two of these men were 
named Miller and Jones, Mr. Miller being sixty-five years old, and the 
youngest of the four. 

A c<)urt of inquiry was held in Liberty, Clay County, during 
December, which resulted in the arrest of Colonel Pitcher for driving 
the saints, or "Mormons," from Jackson, for trial by court-martial, 

Mr. Gilbert wrote Governor Dunklin from Liberty, Clay County, 
January 9, 1834, submitting for consideration the idea of the saints 
making the endeavor to purchase the property of a number of the 
most violent opposers, if such effort would be satisfactory, and help 
to solve the question peaceably. 

Governor Dunklin replied to the memorials and petitions of the 
saints in a friendly manner, avowing his desire and design to enforce 
the civil law, and if practicable, to reinstate those unlawfully dispos- 
sessed of their homes. Two clauses in this letter disclose something 
in reference to the peculiar animus of the persecution waging against 
the *'MarmoD" population. He wrote; **Your case is certainly a very 
emergent one, and the consequences as important to your society as 
if the war had been waged against the whole State; yet the public 
has no other interest in it, than that the laws be faithfully executed. 
Thus far, I presume, the whole community feei a deep interest, for 
that which is the case of the 'Mormons' today, may be the case of 
the Catholics tomorrow; and after them any other sect that may be- 
come obnoxious to a majority of the people of any section of the 
State. So far as a faithful execution of the laws is concerned, the 
-executive is disposed to do everything consistent with the means fur- 
nished him by the legislature, and I think 1 may safely say the same 
of the judiciary. 



300 



APPENDICES. 



"As now advised, I am of the opinion that a military guard will 
be necessary to protect the State witnesses and officers of the court, 
and to aSflist in the execution of its orders, while sitting in Jackson 
County," 

An order was sent by the same mail from the governor, direct- 
ing the captain of the Liberty Blues» a military organization, to com- 
ply with the requisitions of the circuit attorney, in the progress of 
the trials that might ensue. This letter is dated February 4, 1834. 

Suits were instituted by Messrs. Phelps and Partridge, in the 
proper courts of Jackson County, and a dozen or ao of the brethren 
summoned by subpcena to attend the sitting of the court of inquiry 
to he held. These witnesses were met February 23rd, at Everett's 
Ferry by the Liberty Blues, fifty strong, commanded by Captain Atchi- 
son, to guard them into Jackson County. They crossed the river, and 
encamped about a mile from it. From reports brought into camp by 
scouts sent out, Captain Atchison sent an order to Captain Allen for 
two hundred drafted militia, and to Liberty for ammunition* The 
next day the party reached Independence, where the witnesses met 
the district attorney, Mr. Reese,' and the attorney-general, Mr. Wells; 
and from them it was ascertained that all prospect for a criminal 
prosecution was at an end. Mr. Wells had been instructed by the 
governor, to investigate, "as far as possible," the outrages in Jackson; 
but the determined opposition presented to the enforcement of the 
law, by those who had driven the *' Mormons" out, prevented the per- 
formance of executive duty* The judge discharged Captain Atchison 
and his company of Blufs, stating that their service was not needed 
and that officer marched out of town, with the witnesses under guard, 
to the tune of **Yankee Doodle." 

While all this was transpiring time passed on and others were 
made to suffer. One old man Lindsay, nearly seventy, had his house 
thrown down, his goods, corn and other property piled together and 
fired, but was fortunate, after the parties who did it left, to save a 
part of his effects through the exertions of a son. Lyman Leonard, 
one of those who was compelled to return from Van Buren County 
was dragged from his house, beaten and left for dead, but revived and 
escaped. Joshua Sumn*;r and Barnet Cole were beaten severely at the 
same time. 



APPENDICES, 



801 



March 31at, 1834, Ira L Willis went over from Clay County into 
Jackson to look for and reclaim a cow that had strayed. While 
at the honse of Justice Manship, making proof to the owner- 
ship of the cow, he was set upon aud cruelly whipped. 

April 10th, 1804/ a petition was prepared inemoralizing the 
President of the United States, and stating the facts of the expul- 
sion of the people from Jackson County; and further setting forth 
that an impartial investigation into their several individual wrongs 
in the county where those wrongs were committed was impossiblej 
they therefore asked that the executive power of the United States 
be exercised in their protection. This memorial and petition was 
signed by one hundred and fourteen of the expelled refugees. 

In answer to this petition the President by order replied that 
the matter of the petition was referred to the War Department, and 
the department declined interference, as it did not appear that 
the emergency warrantingauch interference had occurred. This in- 
formation was dated May 2nd, 18H4, and signed by Lewis Cass. On 
the same day Governor Dunklin wrote to Messrs. Phelps and others, 
that the court of inquiry, before which Lieut. CoL Pitcher was to 
answer, had decided that the demand made by the officer for the sur- 
render of the arms of the saints on Nov. 5th, 1833, was improper, atid 
an order was sent to CoL Lucas to return them. This order direct- 
ed Col. Lucas to deliver to W, W, Phelps, E, Partridge and others, 
fifty-tivo guns and one pistol, received by CoL Pitcher from the 
''Mormons," Njov. 5th, 1833. 

The result of this order is seen from the following communica- 
tion made to Gov. Dunklin, May 7th, 1834: "Since the 24th ult., 
the mob of Jackson County have burned our dwellings to the number 
of over one hundred and fifty. Our arms were also taken from the 
depository, (the jail,) about ten days since and distributed among the 
mob." * # ♦ ♦ * ♦ * 

The order for the restoration was forwarded to Col. Lucas, at 
Independence, May 17th, with a statement that he might return the 
arms to either of the three ferries on the Missouri, the line between 
Jackson and Clay counties. Of this delivery of the order the gover- 



* Doubtless should be 1834. 



302 



APPENDICES. 



nor was informed by letter dated May 29th. To the letter and order 
to CoL Lucas, that officer stated that he would reply by May 22nd, 
but before that time he removed to Lexington and did not reply 
what he would do. 

Some time in May the expelled ^'Mormons" and their friends in 
Clay County began the mannfacture of weapons, in order to be pre- 
pared for defense if occasion again required it; and in this many of 
the influential men of the county encouraged them, in order, aa they 
said, "to help the 'Mormons* to settle their own difficulties," 

In the fall and before the agreement to leave Jackson County 
had been made, by the "Mormons" afterward expelled, a number of 
their brethren in Ohio» including Joseph Smith, Sylvester Smithy 
Frederick Williams and others, not far from one hundred and fifty 
men in all, had made arrangements to move into Missouri, with the 
intent to aid their followers there in defending themselves, or to 
share with them the fate that might await them. Of their inten- 
tion thus to enter the State as immigrants, they notified their 
brethren in Missouri, who by letter dated April 24th, 1834, informed 
the governor, asking that their arms be restored to them and they 
be reinstated in their homes with the privilege of maintaining them- 
selves in those homes, when so reinstated, by force; further asking 
the governor to give them a guard to escort them to Jackson County, 
when their friends from the East arrived. This letter was signed 
by A. S. Gilbert and four others. 

This company above referred to, left Kirtland May 5th, 1834, 
and on June 5th, Mr. Gilbert notified the governor, in accordance 
with the opinion of Mr» Reese, district attorney, that the company 
was nearly to their journey's end; and again asked for an escort. 

In answer to the communications of Mr, Gilbert and others, Gov- 
ernor Dunklin made answer, dated at Jefferson City, June 6th, 1834, 
from which letter, directed to Col J» Thornton, the following ex- 
tracts are taken: 

*'Dear Sir:^ was pleased at the reception of your letter, concur- 
red in by Messrs. Reese, Atchison and Doniphan, on the subject of 
the Mormon difficulties. * * ♦ \ more clear and 
indisputable right does not exist, that the Mormon people, who 
were expelled from their homes in Jackson County, to return 



APPENDICES. 



308 



and live on tbeir landa, and if they cannot be persuaded aa a matter 
of policy to give up that right, or to qualify it, my course, as 
the chief executive offcer of the State, is a plain one. The Con- 
stitution of the United States declares: That the citizens of each 
State shali be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens 
in the several States,' Then we cannot interdict any people who 
have a political franchise in the United States, from immigrating to 
this State, nor from choosing what part of the State they will 
settle ii5, provided they do not trespass on the property or rights of 
others. * * * And again, our Constitution says, That 
all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty 
God according to the dictates of their own consciencea.' I am fully 
persiaded that the eccentricity of the religious opinions and prac- 
tices of the 'Mormons* is at the bottom of the outrages committed 
against them. They have the right constitutionally guaranteed to 
them, and it is indefeasible, to believe, and worship Joe Smith as a 
man, as an angel, or even as the true and living God, and to call 
their habitation Zion, the Holy Land, or even heaven itself. Indeed 
there is nothing so absurd or ridiculous, that they have not the right 
to adopt as their religion, so that in its exercise they do not inter- 
fere with the rights of others, * * ♦ j ^Qngi^^p jt the 
duty of every good citizen of Jackson and adjoining counties, to 
exert themselves to effect a compromise of their difficulties, and 
were I assured I would not have to act in my official capacity in the 
affair. I would visit the parties in person and exert myself to the ut- 
most to settle it. My first advice would be to the Mormons to sell 
out their lands in Jackson County, and to settle somewhere else, where 
they could live in peace, if they could get a fair price for them, and 
reasonable damages for injuries received, K this failed I would try 
the citizens and advise them to meet and rescind their illegal resolve 
of last summer; and agree to conform to the laws in every particu- 
lar, in respect to the Mormons. If both these failed, I would then ad- 
vise the plan you have suggested, for each party to take separate 
territory, and confine their numbers within their respective limits, 
with the exception of the public right of ingress and egress upon the 
public highway. If all these failed then the simple question of legal 
right would have to settle it. It is this last that I am afraid I shall 



3€4 



APPENDICES. 



haye to conform my action to in the end, and hence the necessity of 
keeping myself in the best situation to do my duty impartially." 

To facilitate any eflTort that might be ma^ie to effect a settle- 
ment of the troubles, the governor appointed Col. Thornton as an aid 
to the command er*in-chlef, and requested him to keep himself and the 
governor closely ioformed of all that was transpiring. 

The company emigrating from Ohio, under the charge of Joseph 
Smith, were joined at Salt River, Missouri, by a number from Michi- 
gan in charge of Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wright,* their united 
number being two hundred and five men. These were organized and 
drilled under Mr, Wright, who wag appointed to the command of the 
whole force, 

June 9th^ 1834, the governor issued a second order for the 
return of the arms, directed to CoL Pitcher, CoL Lucas having 
resigned hia command and left the county. This order to Col. 
Pitcher required him to collect the arms, if not in his possession, and 
return them to Messrs. Phelps and Partridge and others from whom 
they were taken. 

June 10th, Judge John F. Ryland wrote to Mr. Gilbert from Rich- 
mond, requesting that the "Mormons" be called together at Liberty 
the following Monday, the 16th, at which time he would meet them 
with a deputation of some of the most respectable citizens of Jack- 
son County and explain to them his views, stating further that he 
dreaded the consequences likely to ensue if he failed in hia efforts to 
secure an amicable adjustment between the parties. This request 
was acceded to. Mr. Gilbert and others notified their brethren of 
the time and place of meeting and its object; and on the 16th the 
meeting was held, the citizens of Clay County, including the "'Mor- 
mons," numbering between eight hundred and a thousand, assembled 
at the court house, where they were met by the judge and a deputa- 
tion from Jackson County. At this meeting the citizens of Jackson 
Connty, through a committee consisting of Mr. Samuel C. Owens 
and nine others, submitted propositions in substance as follows: 
That they would purchase the lands and improvements of the "Mor- 
mons" at a valuation to be fixed by arbitrators to be agreed upon by 



♦Wight. 



APPENDICES. 



305 



the parties; that when these arbitratora should have been chosen, 
twelve of the "MormoDs" should be permitted to go with the arbitra- 
tors to point out the lands and improvements to be valued, the people 
of the county guaranteeing their safety while so doing; that when 
these arbitrators should have fixed eaid valuation, the people of Jack- 
son County would pay the same with one hundred per cent added 
thereto within thirty days after said report. That upon said pay- 
ment BO made the ^'Mormons" should execute deeds for the lands, and 
make no effort ever after to settle aa a community or as individuals 
within the county. Both parties were to enter into bonds to keep 
the terms of the agreement when made. A counter proposition was 
that the "Mormons" should buy all the land^s of the people of Jackson 
County and their improvements on the public lands, the valuation to 
be made in the same way by arbitrators, and the same addition of 
one hundred per cent to such valuation when reported, payment to 
be made by the "Mormons" within thirty days after said report of 
valuation, aa in the first proposition. 

After the reading of this proposition, its adoption and enforce- 
ment were warmly urged by Mr, Owens, chairman of the deputation 
from Jackson County, and were as warmly met and opposed by Gen. 
Doniphan, Rev, M. Riley, of the Baptist church, urged the expulsion 
of the '^Mormons," stating that they had "lived long enough in Clay 
County, and must either clear out or be cleared out. ' Mr, Turnbam, 
the moderator of the meetings answered this speech, counseling mod- 
eration, saying, among other things, "Let us be Republicans; let us 
honor our country and not disgrace it like Jackson County. For 
God's sake, don't disfranchise or drive aw^ay the ^Mormons/ They 
are better citizens than many of the old inhabitants,*' This expres- 
sion was endorsed by Gen. Doniphan. Considerable excitement 
ensued, during which a quarrel occurred between some parties out- 
side the door, in which one Calbert stabbed another man named 
Wales. Someone shouted into the door of the court room, "A man 
stabbed!" which broke up the meeting. Pending the restoration to 
order, Messrs, Phelps, McCIellan and others consulted together and 
replied to the proposition, that they were not authorized to accede 
to either of the set of terms submited, but that they would give 
general notice and call a meeting of their brethren and make defi- 



306 



APPENDICES. 



nite answer by the following Saturday or Monday, and that sucb 
answer should be placed in the hands of Judge TiirnhaTn, chairman 
of the meeting, earlier than the day named, if possible; assttring 
Mr. Owens and others that there was no design to open hostilities on 
the people of Jackson or other counties. They further pledged them- 
selves to prevent any of their brethren coming from the east from 
entering into Jackson County, 

Messrs, Phelps and Gilbert submitted to Mr. Owens and others 
of the Jackson committee a reply dated June 21st, 1834, stating 
that they had consulted with their brethren, as agreed, and were 
authorized to state that the propositions as made to them June 16th, 
could not be acceded to. In the same communication they gave the 
assurance that there was no intention on the part of themselves or 
their brethren to invade the county of Jackson in a hostile manner,. 

By this uniting, immediate conflict seemed to be averted, and 
the Jackson County committee returned home by way of the ferry, 
where is now the Wayne City landing. The boat was taken over to 
them and ten or twelve men and as many horses went aboard the 
boat. When about the middle of the Misso'iri the boat filled with 
water and sank; men, horses and all went down together. George- 
Bradbury, David Lynch and James Campbell were drowned. S. V. 
Nolan could not swim, but catching hold of his horse's tail was. 
hauled safely to the Jackson County shore. Samuel C. Owens and 
Thomas Harrington clung to the wreck of the boat and floated down 
a mile, and when the boat reached a sandbar Mr, Owens divested 
himself of all his clothes except his shirt, left the wreck and swam 
safely to the shore. He found a cow path which he followed to the 
main road. While traveling the path he found himself terribly 
annoyed by the sting of the nettle, but he walked to Independence, a 
distance of some four miles. Mr. Harrington hung to the boat and 
was drowned. William Everett swam to the Jackson shore and was 
washed against a drift and was found there ten days afterwards, 
one hand fast hold of a projecting snag. The other men swam back 
to the Clay County shore, where they all made it safe except Small- 
wood Nolan, who clung to a '^sawyer" only a short distance from the 
shore. The men who made the shore built a fire and encouraged 
Nolan to **cling on" till they could rescue bim. He did cling on with 



APPENDICES. 



307 



the grip of death- When daylight came and the men went in to 
take him off his scanty support, they found that the water was only 
waist deep and he con Id have waded to the shore with ease if he had 
known it 

It was rumored that the "Mormons'* had secretly bored holes in 
the boat above the customary water mark, but when loaded would 
aink to the holes and then fill with water. But the moat reasonable 
idea was that the boat did not generally carry such heavy loadSi 
hence the timbers had become dry and the corking loose, and when 
the water pressed against it gave way and the boat filled, 

Joseph Smith and his party passed through Richmond, Clay 
County, June 19th, and encamped between two branches of Fishing 
River, not far from their junction. Here they were met by five 
armed men, who informed them that sixty men from Ray and seventy 
from Clay counties were to meet others from different places and 
prevent their further progress. They also learned that two hundred 
from Jackson County were to cross the Missouri River at Williams' 
Ferry, there to meet the forces from Ray and Clay Counties, at Fish- 
ing River ford, and thence to attack and disperse or destroy them. 
Their designs, if entertained, were prevented, for on the night fol- 
lowing a severe storm of wind and rain occurred, which raised the 
streams, flooded the country and prevented any hostile movements 
being made by either party. 

Mr. Smith's band moved out on the prairie on the 20th and 
encamped, where, on the 2l8t, they were visited by Col. Sconce and 
two other leading men from Eay County, who were an:yious to know 
what were their intentions. Mr, Smith replied, stating that they 
had come to assist their brethren, bringing with them clothing and 
other supplies to aid them in being reinstated in their rights; and 
disclaimed any design to interfere with, or molest any people. These 
men returned from their visit, satisfied of the intentions of Mr. 
Smith and those with htm, and rode through the neighborhood, using 
their influence to allay the excitement. 

Cornelius Gillium, sheriff of Clay County, went to the camp of 
Mr. Smith and party on June 22nd, and asked for Mr. Smith; and 
upon being presented to him, gave them some instructions concern- 
ing the peculiarities of the inhabitants of the county; and advised 



308 



APPENDICES. 



Mr. Smith and the rest as to the course that should be pursued by 
them to secure tlie protection of the people. Mr; Smith and those 
with him resumed their march to reach Liberty, Clay County, on the 
23rd; but were met by Gen. Atchison and others when within six 
miles of the town, and were by them persuaded not to go to Liberty, 
as the people were too much incensed against them. The party, there- 
fore turned away to the left and encamped upon the premises of a 
member of the fraternity named Burghardt, on the bank of Rush 
Creek. 

From here a proposition for settlement was agreed to on the 
part of the -'Mormons/' and was by them sent to Mr. S. C. Owens and 
others, the committee from Jackson County. This proposition was 
in substance as follows: 

That if the inhabitants of Jackson County would not permit 
them to return to their homes and remain in peace, then twelve dis- 
interested men were to be chosen, six by each party to the strife, 
and these twelve men were to fix the value of the lands of those 
men resident in the county who were opposed to the **Mormous/* and 
could not consent to live in the county with them; that when this 
valuation was made, the *'Mormons" were to have one year in which 
to raise the money; that none of the "Mormons" should enter the 
county to reside until the money was paid; that the same twelve 
men were also to fix the amount of damages incurred by the ''Mor- 
mons" in their expulsion, and the amount of damages so fixed should 
be taken from the aggregate sum to be paid by the said **MormonB" 
for the lands appraised by said arbitrators. 

On June 25th, Mr. Smith caused his company to be broken into 
small bands, and scattered them among the resident members. He 
also apprised Generals Doniphan, Atchison and Thornton of what he 
had done, informing them that his company of emigrants would so 
remain dispersed until every etiort for an adjustment of differences 
had been made on their part, **that would in anywise be required of 
them by disinterested men of Republican principles," 

June 26th, by agreement among the elders of the "Mormons," a 
letter was prepared to Governor Dunklin, informing him of their 
arrival in Clay County, of their having been met by General Doni- 
phan, of their present condition and the nature of the negotiations 



APPBKB}«^S* 



309 



then pending, of the character of the proposals made by them, and 
notifying the governor that if the present effort for peace failed 
they should do all that conld be required of them by human or divine 
law to secure peaceably their bomea in Jackson County, their claim 
to which they would not abandon. They further notified the gover- 
nor that within the week one of their brethreu was taken by some 
citizens from Jackson County, and forcibly carried from Clay Comity 
across the Missouri, and after being detained in custody for a day 
and night was threatened and released. Also, that the houses of a 
number of their members in Clay County had been broken into and 
rifled of guns and arms during the absence of the men folks, the 
women being threatened and intimidated. On the same day they 
received a rejection of the proposals to Mr. Owens, by the way of 
their attorney, Mr, Reese. 

While encamped on Rush Creek the cholera broke out among 
them, and out of sixty-eight attacked thirteen died, among them 
John S. Carter, Eber Wilcox and Algernon S. Gilbert, he who was 
expelled from Independence. 

Mr, Gillium published the result of his visit to the **Mormon" 
camp, and the propositions made by them as stated above, in the 
Enquirer J July 1st, 1834, and the whole country then became 
acquainted with the purposes and wishes of these worshipers. We 
quote from this publication the following: 

"We wish to become permanent citizens of the State, and bear 
our proportion in support of the government and to be protected by 
its laws. If the above propositions are complied with we are willing 
to give security on our part, and we shall want the same of the peo- 
ple of Jackson County, for the performance of this agreement. We 
do not wish to settle down in a body, except where we can purchase 
the land with money; for to take possession by conquest or the shed- 
ding of blood is entirely foreign to our feelings. The shedding of 
blood we shall not be guilty of, nntil all just and honorable means 
among men prove insufficient to restore peace." 

This declaration was signed by Joseph Smith, Jr., F. G. Will- 
iams, then acting president of The Church, Lyman Wright, Roger 
Orton, Orson Hyde and John S. Carter, all leading men among the 
"Mormons.'* It was directed to John Lincoln, John Sconce, George 



310 



APPENDICES. 



R. Morehead^ James H. Long and James Collins. The "Mormons" 
also appointed a committee of their number, who drafted an appeal 
to the people of the United States, in which they set forth the pnr- 
poses expressed by them in their statement to Mr, Gi Ilium. This 
appeal was pnhliahe<I and scattered abroad, but it is not known what 
effect it had, other than possibly to exasperate the feeling in Mis- 
souri against them. 

The message of the governor of Missouri to the general 
assembly of the State, then in session, communicated on November 
20tli, 1838, recommended a commission of both houses of the Legis- 
lature to inquire into the **Morraon" difficulties. The house, in com- 
mittee of the whole on the state of the Republic, November 22nd, 
appointed a select committee of seven to co-operate with such num- 
ber from the senate as that body might appoint, to inquire into the 
"causes of said disturbances, and the conduct of the military opera- 
tions in suppressing them, with power to send for men and papers." 
The senate, on November 23rd, appointed Messrs. Turner^ Noland and 
Scott, as their part of said committee, thus concurring in the action. 
This committee reported in the senate, on December 18th, that they 
had taken the matters submitted to them into consideration, and decid- 
ed that they "thought it unwise and injudicious under all the circum- 
stances of the case to predicate a report from the papers, documents, 
etc., purporting to be copies of the evidence takeu before an exam- 
ining court, held in Richmond, Ray County, for the purpose of inquir- 
ing into the charges alleged against the people called * Mormons,' 
growing out of the difficulties l>etween that people and other citi- 
zens of the State." 

The reasons given are: The evidence given in that examination 
was in a great degree ex parte, and not of a character to afford a 
**fair and impartial investigation." The papers had been so certified 
as to satisfy the committee of their authenticity. There were still 
charges pending against some of the **MormonB" for treason, murder 
and other felonies, which charges were to be tried before the courts 
in the several counties, where such crimes were charged to have been 
committed. Publication of the evidence and papers referred to 
might affect seriously the right of trial by a **Jury of the vicinage," 
by prejudicing public sentiment against the accused. Were the 



APPENDICES. 



311 



committee to act and send for papers and persons, it might Interfere 
with the actioE of the coiarts wherein the suits were pending. For 
this reason the committee recommended the appointment of a com- 
mittee, who should, after the adjournment of the assemhly, go into 
the vicinity of the scenes of the diificulties, there to make inquiry 
and make proper report to the legislature of their inquiry and 
examination when concluded. Among other reaaons given for such 
recommendation occur these: that the "documents> although service- 
able in giving direction to the course of inquiry, are none of them, 
except the official orders and correspondence, such as ought to be 
received as conclusive evidence of the facts stated." And that it 
*'would not be proper to publisb the official orders and correspond- 
ence between the officers in command, and the executive, with- 
out the evidence on which they were founded; and that evidence is 
not sufficiently full and eafciaf actory to authorize its publication." 

The recommendations of the committee were concurred in by 
the senate, January 10th, and on the 16th Mr. Turner introduced a 
bill providing such inquiry; making it the duty of the commission 
when appointed to inquire into the causes of the disturbances. This 
bill passed after amendment, and being reported to the house was, 
on February 4th, 1839, laid on the table until July 4th, by 48 to 37. 

Pending the expiration of the time for which this bill to inquire 
into the causes of the disturbance of the peace in the various counties 
of Clay, Ray und Daviess, the history of the "Mormons" of the State 
is about as follows: 

After the removal from Jackson, and the acceptance of the final 
decision, nothing further appears of any settlement being attempted 
in Jackson County by the expelled party, or their brethren, Joseph 
Smith returned to Kirtland, Oliio^ with many others, while some 
concluded to remain in the, to them, land of Zion; and these settled 
in and through the counties above named. 

Things did not long remain in a peaceful condition, however, 
and it became apparent that there would again be trouble. To avoid 
this, if possible, it appears that some of the leading men among the 
*'Mormon9" were sent to Richmond, Ray County, and made inquiry as 
to whether the citizens would be willing that they should settle upon 
the territory north of and contiguous to the county of Ray, at that 



312 



APPENDICES. 



time unorganized. To this no answer was given, and, taking it for 
granted that no objections would be offered, many removed, and Mr. 
James M. Hunt, in his **Mormon War/* written in 1844, declares that; 
**Here, for some time, the Prophet concentrated hia followers; 
houses were erected, as if by raagic — improvements were prosecuted 
with such rapidity as to promise a flourishing town and country in a 
very short time. The country round about was fast being settled, 
and undergoing improvements^-every month bringing swarms of 
deluded fanatics, to forward the designs of their ambitious leaders/' 

Settlements were made at Far West; one on Grand Eiver, 
in Daviess, called Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and one in Carrol County, 
called DeWitt. At these places says, Hunt, "members gathered, 
improving town and country rapidly." ''It is due the 'Mormons,* '' 
further says this writer, "here to state, that they were an industri- 
ous, agricultural people, or at least that portion of them who located 
in the country round about in the 'stakes,* " as these settlements 
were called by them. 

Between the year 1834 and the beginning of 18S8, these settle- 
ments, outside of Jackson, continued to thrive, disturbed, posaibly, 
by now and then an outrage or reprisal, such as may occur in newly 
settled countries among any class of settlers, for which mutual 
wrongs, attempted redresses were sought before mutual courts, as 
some of the local minor courts were in the hands of the '*Mormona," 
though the county and superior ones were held by other citizens; 
and each party claimed that injustice was done them by these courts 
by reason of partisan bias. The feeling was growing bitter against 
the **Mormona" on the part of the citizens, and the feelings of injury 
and resentment began to crystallize into provocation and resent- 
ment (especially so with some individuals) on the part of the *'Mor- 
mons," Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had settled with their fam- 
ilies in the State, and under their direction the people had been 
organized and armed, more or less elficiently, to repel encroachments 
and protect themselves, as they stated, from unlawful aggressions. 
They had been told that the authority of the legislature and execu- 
tive could not be brought to bear for their defense until remedies at 
the lesser courts failed them, aufJ then only at the requisition of 
local civil officers, and had been advised whether judiciously or 



APPENDICES, 



31S 



otherwise to defend themselves. There grew up some dissensions 
among themselves: a few, some of the prominent men among them, 
dissented from the rules of the society and the anthority of Messrs. 
Smith and Rigdon ; these were denounced as apostates, and attempts 
made to drive them out from the society and settlements, which 
resulted in mutual recrimination and the making public exaggerated 
accounts of the intentions of the ^'Mormon" leaders. Some of the 
brethren who were fanatical or more unwise than others, were guilty 
of a flagrant excess of language calculated to create suspicion and 
uneasiness in the minds of those already prejudiced against them as 
a people. There were some law-breakers among them who commit- 
ted crimes and were not punished; all of which hastened the impend- 
ing trouble. These things among themselveSj and the constant mani- 
festation of hostility from many of the citizens, lawless and 
irresponsible, and some of note and ability among the most respect- 
able as well, with occasional depredation upon the "Mormons," 
resulted in making further peace very improbable. 

In June, 1838, Sidney Rigdon preached a sermon, taking strong 
ground against the dissenters and the Missourians. This sermon 
was construed as a declaration of war against the apostates and of 
reprisal against the citizens. Mr. Hunt states that in this state of 
things, the citizens apprehended wrong-doers against them, but hav* 
ing to go before a "Mormon*' justice and jury, they failed and were 
abused by the **Morroons" for bringing vexatious suits; and that the 
Gentiles were not idle in "setting afloat their grievances, and prob- 
ably exaggerating them." 

Mr. Rigdon is said to have delivered an oration July 4, 1838, 
at Far West, before a gathered multitude, which was called a treason- 
able speech. This oration we have carefully read and can now see 
that the passages construed as treasonable and dangerous, may have 
been but the indignant protest against violence that a possible en- 
thusiast might unadvisedly use. They are as follows: "And that mob 
that comes on us to disturb us, it shall be between us and them a 
war of extermination; for we will follow them till the last drop of 
their blood is spilled, or they will have to exterminate us, for we will 
carry the seat of war to their own houses and their own families, and 
one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed. Remember it, then, 

20 



314 



APPENDICES, 



all men! We will laever be the aggreasors — we will infringe on the 
rights of no people, but shall stand for our owti till death. We claim 
our own rights, and are willing that others shall enjoy theirs. No 
man shall be at liberty to come into our streets, to threaten xis with 
mobs, for if he does, he shall atone for it before he leaves the place; 
neither shall he vilify or slander any of na, for suffer it we will not 
in this place- » ♦ ♦ Neither will we indulge any man 
or set of men, in instituting vexatious law -suits against ua to cheat 
US out of our rights; if they attempt it» we say woe be unto them.*' 
August 1st, at an election in Daviess County, a quarrel ensued 
between some citizens and **Mormon3," One of the latter was badly 
stabbed, and others on both sides wounded. From this occurrence, 
rumors flew in every direction. The '^Mormons" at Far West were 
told that several of their number had been killed, and two hundred of 
them went into Daviess County to inquire into it. They found no 
one killed^ but Mr. Adam Black, a justice of the peace of Daviess 
County, stated under oath, before John Wright and Elijah Foley, 
fellow justices, that Mr. Smith and others, to thenumber of one hund- 
red and fifty-four, exacted from him about August 8, 1838, a written 
promise to support the Constitution of the State and the United States; 
and not to support a mob nor attach himself to any mob, nor to molest 
the *'Mormons." To answer to this charge Mr. Smith, L. Wight and 
others were arreated, and recognized to appear for trial. Other dis- 
turbances followed, and upon representation of a deputation of citi- 
zens from Daviess County, Major-General Atchison, at the head of a 
thousand men of the Third Division of militia, went to the scene of 
trouble. The major-general found the citizens and the ^'Mormona" in 
hostile array. He dispersed both parties and reported to the governor, 
with the further statement that no further depredations were to be 
feared from the '^Mormons," Almost simultaneously disturbances oc- 
curred in Carroll and Caldwell counties. The citizens determined to 
drive the "Mormons" from the State; the **Mormon3" refused to be 
driven^ A number of citizens made representations to General Atchi- 
son, on September 10th, that the citizens of Davieas had a "Mormon" 
in custody, as a prisoner, and that the "Mormons" had Messrs. John 
Comer, Wm. McHamy and Allen Miller prisoners, as hostages. Cer- 
tain of the '^Mormons," and other citizens of Carroll County, peti- 



APPENDICES. 



315 



tioned the governor from I)e Witt, stating tbe committal of lawleas 
acts against them, among which waa the ordering them to leave the 
county, giving them till October Ist^ and aeking interference and re- 
lief. This was dated September 22, 1838. 

From reports filed with the governor, by Generals H, G, Parks, 
David R. Atchison and A, W. Doniphan, copies of which accompanied 
the messages of tbe governor to the assembly, it appears that when 
tbe proper authorities appeared on the scene of difficulty, the ^'Mor- 
mons" gave np, not only the prisoners they had taken in reprisalj but 
their arms, and also the men of their number against whom civil pro- 
ceedings were pending. General Parks, in a report dated Mill Post, 
September 25, 1838, states: ''Whatever may have been the disposition 
of the people called 'Mormons/ before our arrival here, since we have 
made our appearance, they have shown no disposition to resist tbe 
laws, or of hostile intention. ♦ * * There has been so 
much prejudice and exaggeration concerning this matter, that I find 
things on my arrival here, totally different from what I was prepared 
to expect. When we arrived here, we found a large body of men 
from tbe counties adjoining, armed, and in the field, for tbe purpose, 
as I learned, of assisting the people of this county against the *Mor- 
mons/ without being called out by the proper authorities." General 
Atchison wrote the governor from Liberty, Missouri, September 17, 
1838: **1 have no doubt your excellency has been deceived by the ex- 
aggerated statements of designing or half crazy men. I have found 
there is no cause of alarm on account of the 'Mormons;* they are not 
to he feared; they are much alarmed." 

Hostile feeling culminated rapidly, Tbe citizens, in absence 
of the militia, gathered their forces together, and, on the night of 
October 1st, attacked De Witt. A committee of citizens of Chariton 
County went into Carroll County, and found De Witt invested by a 
large force, the **Mormon3** in defense and suing for peace, and wish- 
ing for the interposition of tbe civil authorities. They reported Oc- 
tober 5, 1838. General Atchison reported October 16th, that the 
**Morroons" had sold out in Carroll County and left, and that a por- 
tion of their assailants were on the march to Daviess Connty with 
one piece of artillery, "where, it is thought the same lawless game is 
to be played over, and the ^Mormons' driven from that county, and 



816 



APPENDICES. 



probably from CaldwelL*" "Nothing, in my opiDion," wTf^te this gen- 
eral io his report, "but the stroogest measures within the power of 
the execntive will put down this spirit of mohocracy^" 

The **Mornion9" resisted, and in their turn plundered the store of 
Jacob Stollinga at Gallatin, removing the goods, burned the store and 
other buildings in that place and Millport. The citizens of Ray, 
Daviess, Carroll, Jackson, Howard and some other counties gathered, 
and apprising the governor that the ''Mormons," now growing des- 
perate, had become the aggressors, the governor, L, W. Boggs, moved 
thereto by representations made to him, issued orders to General John 
B. Clark, placing him in command of all the force necessary, with 
instruction that he was in receipt of information of the most appalling 
nature, *'which entirely changed the face of things, and places the 
'Mormons' in the attitude of an open and armed defiance of the laws, 
and of having made war upon the people of this State * * • 
The ^Mormons' must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated 
or driven from the State, if necessary for the public peace — their out- 
rages are beyond all description." 

In obedience to this order, General Clark, associated with Gen- 
eral Lucas, proceeded to the seat of war, and, without much resist- 
ance, disbanded the armed forces of the "Mormons/' demanded and re- 
ceived their arras, took Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith 
and fifty other leading men prisoners for trial upon various charges 
— high treason against the State, murder, burglary, arson, robbery 
and larceny. These men were examined before Austin A. King, 
judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit in the State of Missouri, at Rich- 
mond, beginning November 12, 1838. At this examination some were 
discharged for lack of evidence to hold them, but Joseph Smith, 
Lyman Wight, Hyrum Smith, Alexander McRae and Caleb Baldwin 
were held for trial and committed to jail in Clay County; some others 
were recognized for trial and gave bonds. A further demand was 
made to the eifect that the ^'Mormons" make an appropriation to pay 
their debts and the indemnification for the damage to citizens done 
by them. The property said to have been taken by them was mostly 
restored upon demand of the officers. 

The "Mormons" began leaving at once, and continued to leave 
until all were gone, except now and then a recalcitrant member, or 



APPENDICES. 



317 



one who had some pergonal friends among the citizeng. Many sold 
out for what they could get, and many were compelled to go without 
selling at alL Their leaders were taken prisoners, their means of 
defense, aa well as offense, were taken from them hy law, and by the 
will of the citizens, enforced by the order of the governor, some 
twelve thousand people were driven from the State. The numher of 
killed in this **Mormon" war is stated hy the official report of the 
general in command in the following language: *'The whole number 
of the ^Mormons' killed through the whole difficulty, as far as I can 
ascertain, are about forty, and several wounded/' This is rather a 
damaging result against the State, after the terrible character given 
the "Mormons'^ by those opposed to them, and upon whose reports the 
governor ordered their suppression, Messrs. Smith, Rigdon and their 
comrades, in jail at Liberty, took change of venue to Boone County, 
but the officer charged with their delivery in Boone in his return of 
the order of removal to Daviesa County states that the prisoners 
escaped. They afterwards reached Illinois in safety. 

Such in brief is the history of that strange people called "Mor- 
mons,'* in Missouri; the events succeeding their departure from the 
county, of Jackson and settlements in Ray, Clay, Caldwell, Daviesa 
and other counties, has been hurried over as not properly belonging 
in our history of Jackson. 

After this expulsion from Missouri, the **MoTmons" settled in 
Illinois, where in six years, from 1838 to 1844, they increased rap- 
idly and laid the foundation for a magnificent city. They hegan the 
erection of a stone temple upon a sightly location. Trouble followed 
them, the citizens were again aroused. Process was issued for the 
arrest of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, on charge of treason; await- 
ing trial upon which charge in the jail of Hancock County, Illinois, 
June 27th, 1844, they were attacked and killed by a mob. Two 
years after that, the **Mormon3," under the leadership of Brigham 
Young, were expelled from Illinois, and Utah and polygamy are the 
outcome. 

There is now in Jackson County a body of people calling them- 
selves Latter-day Saints* They are in fact a branch of the Reor* 
ganized Church of Jeaus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which 
church, Joseph Smith, Jr., the eldest son of Joseph Smith, the puta- 



318 



APPENDICES, 



ti?e father of "Mormoniam," is the president. Tbe present head- 
quarters of the clmrch is at Piano, Kendall County, Illinois; where 
they have a printiog house, containing engine, press, type and other 
facilities for carrying on qfuite an extensive business. They number 
gome fifteen thousand members now, dispersed through the United 
States in over four hundred congregations^ including branches in 
Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Salt Lake City and many 
other prominent cities; and are most numerous in Illinois, Iowa and 
Missouri. In many places they have houses of worship, which they 
by the engagement and aid of the citizens have built; one of these 
buildings is in Independence. 

This church, under Mr, Smithes presidency, has kept an active 
ministry at work in Utah, endeavoring to disabuse the **Mormons" of 
that Territory of tbe dogma of polygamy, which they assert to be 
no part of primitive **Morroonism;" and from the history of the sect 
during its stay in Missouri from 1835 to 1838, it would appear that 
these organizers are correct; for not a single charge of such dogma 
being held or taught appears in the many statements made against 
them, or in the published orders and reports of the officers engaged 
in expelling them from the State. They, at all events, oppose the 
tenet, and are directly antagonizing Utah "Mormonism,"* 



APPENDICES. 



319 



APPENDIX II. 



"MORMON" WAR. 



(Taken from the History of Clay County as published in St. Louii 
by the National Historical Company^ 1885.) 

IN 1832 the "Mormons" under their Prophet Joe Smith came into 
Jackson County, where the previous year large tracts of land 
had been entered and purchased for their benefit and began to occupy 
and possess the land with the intention, as they said, of remaining 
for all time. '*BtJt their years in that land were few and full of 
trouble." They were in constant collision with their Gentile neigh- 
bors, who frequently tied them up and whipped them with cowhides 
and hickory switches, derided their religion, boycotted them where 
they did not openly persecute them, and at last engaged in a deadly 
encounter with them, tarred and feathered their bishops; threw their 
printing press into the river and finally drove them from their homes 
and out of the county. 

Affrighted, terror-stricken, many of the *'Mormons*' took refuge 
in Ctay County. Every vacant cabin in the south of the county was 
occupied by the fugitives. Many of them among the men obtained 
employment with the farmers, sonie of the women engaged as domes- 
tics, others taught school. A few beads of families were able to 
and did purchase land and homes, but the majority rented. The 
Clay County citizens treated thera kindly and administered to their 
wants and rendered so many favors that to this day away out in Salt 
Lake the old '*Mormons"hold in grateful remembrance the residents of 
the county of 1834-6. 

An old citizen of Independence has recently published in the 
Kansas City Journul an interesting article on the "Mormon" troublea 
in Jackson County. One paragraph of this article reads as follows; 

Tme history, however, must record the fact that the deluded 



320 



APPENDICES, 



followers of the so-called prophet Joseph Smith, in their first effort 
to organize and establish a religious, socialistic coniiininity in Jack- 
son County, Missouri, were unjustly and outrageously treated by the 
original settlers. Tliat is seen in the tragical and pitiful scene which 
occurred during the last part of , their sojourn in this their prom- 
ised inheritance, their Zion and New Jerasalem, With scarcely one 
exception the old settlers were the aggressors so far as overt acts of 
hostility were concerned. During the last year of their stay, the 
continued persecutions to which they were subjected excited the sym- 
pathy of many outside the county, especially of the people of Clay 
County, who gave them an asylum and assistance for a year or two 
after their expulsion. Indeed, material aid and arms were furnished 
them by citizens of Ciay County before their expulsion. A wagon 
with a quantity of guns was stopped near the south part of Kansas 
City and seized by parties on the watch. 

The Jackson County people were indignant at the reception given 
the "Mormons" by the citizens of Clay County and stigmatized some 
of our citizens as Jack ''Mormons/' a term yet used. On one occa- 
sion a delegation of eleven Jackson County citizenSi led by Major S, 
Owens and James Campbell came over to Liberty to hold a council 
with the Gentile citizens and '^Mormons" of Clay County in regard to 
the lands from which the "Mormons*' had been driven. The title to 
these lands was in the hands of the "Mormons," hut the Gentiles 
wished to extinguish it by purchase, if it could be obtained at their 
— the Gentiles' — price. Accordingly, they offered the '^Mormons" an 
insignificant sum for their lands and farms, many of which were 
already in possession of certain citizens of Jackson County, but this 
offer was refused. The Clay County people generally endorsed the 
refusal. Returning home that night in great ill humor with their 
neighbors on this side of the river, the delegation of Jackson County 
met with a sad misfortune. As they were crossing the river at 
Duckins Ferry, about the middle of the river the boat sank and five 
of them were drowned. Three of the unfortunate men were Ilu Job, 

James Campbell and Everett. The casualty increased the 

indignation already felt against the people of Clay County. 

By the year 1838, all or nearly all of the "Mormons" had left 
Clay County, and joined the "Mormon" settlement at or near Far 



APPENDICES. 



821 



West, or at other points in Caldwell and Davieas connties; and in 
October of that year the " ^Mormon' War" broke out Among the 
troops dispatched to Far West during that month were some com- 
panies of militia from Clay Connty, belonging to General Doniphan's 
brigade, of Major-General D. R. Atchison's division. Two of these 
companies were commanded by Corporals Prior and 0. P. Moss* 

Of Captain Prior's company Peter Holtzclaw was first lienten- 
ant. He with twenty-five men from the north part of the county 
became separated from the main command and did not leave with it 
The detachment marched across into Ray County and fell in with the 
Jackson County regiment, which had refused to march through Clay 
County owing to the animosity existing, and had crossed the river at 
Lexington. 

AH the Clay County men were in line confronting the breast- 
works when the "Mormon** camp at Far West was surrendered, and 
witnessed all the proceedings* They saw the white flag pass back 
and forth from the "Mormons," and saw the robber, Captain Eogard 
of the Missourians, fire on it; saw the cannoneers stand with lighted 
matches beside their pieces, having sent word to General Doniphan 
that they were ready to fire; saw suddenly a white flag go up; saw 
the "Mormon" battalion march out with "General" G, W. Hinkie, 
brave as a lion, at its head and form a hollow square and ground 
arms, and then saw Hinkle ride up to Doniphan, unbuckle his sword 
and detach his pistols from their holsters and pass them over to his 
captor, who quietly remarked, '*Give them to my adjutant." Then 
they saw Hinkle dash the tears from his face, and ride back to his 
soldiers. 

The "Mormons" agreed fully to Doniphan's conditions, that they 
should deliver up their arms, surrender their prominent leaders for 
trial, and the remainder of them, with their families, leave the State. 
As hostages, Joe Smith, Sidney Eigdon, Lyman Wight, G. W. Hinkle* 



* Hinkle was not among the hostages that were held for the 
faithful performance of his agreement with the mob, nor did those 
"hostages" deliver themselves up to the mob; they were betrayed 
into the hands of their enemies by Hinkle.—^. //. i?. 



322 



APPENDICES. 



and other prominent "Mormons" delivered themselves up to be held 
for the faithful performance of the hard conditions.* 

The "Mormon" leaders were taken before a court of inquiry at 
Richmond, Judge Austin A, King presiding. He remanded them ta 
Daviess County^ to await the action of the grand jury on a charge 
of treason against the State and murder. The Daviess County jail 
being poor and insecure, the prisoners were brought to Liberty and 
confined in the old stone jail {stil! standing) for some time. Many 
citizens of the county remember to have seen Joe Smith when he 
was a prisoner in the old Liberty jail. 

In due time indictments for various offenses, treason, murder^ 
resisting legal process, etc., were found against Joe Smith and hi& 
brother Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon, G. W. Hiukle, Caleb Baldwin, P, P. 
Pratt, Luman Gibbs, Maurice Phelps, King Follet, Wm. Osbum, 
Arthur Morrison, Elias Higbee and others. Sidney Rigdon was 
released on a writ of habeas corpus, the others recjuested a change 
of venue, and Judge King &ent their cases to Boone County for trial. 
On the way from Liberty to Columbia, Joe Smith escaped. It is 
generally believed the guard was bribed. P. P. Pratt escaped from 
Columbia jail; the other.s were either tried and acquitted, or the 
cases against them were dismissed. The entire proceedings in the 
cases were disgraceful in the extreme. There never was a handful 
of evidence that the accused were guilty of the crimes with which 
they were charged. Those who were tried were defended by General 
Doniphan and James S. Rollins. — pp. 132-5. 



* Colonel Lewis Wood of this county, who was present, states to 
the compiler that at a council of the leading militia officers held the 
night following the surrender, it was voted by nearly three to one to- 
put these leaders to death, and their lives were only saved by the 
intervention of General Doniphan s who not only urged his authority 
as brigadier, but declared he would defend the prisoners with his own 

life.— a; H, C. 



APPENDICES. 



323 



APPENDIX in. 



THE "MORMONS, 



(Eidorjf of DavieB$ County, by D, L, KorL) 



THIS seut of professed Christians, whose history is but a bur- 
lesque upon the pure morality of the meek and lowly, but 
glorious Naaarene, came to this country in 1836. Their chief settle- 
ment was in Far West, in Caldwell County, where their apostle^ 
Joseph Smith, and all their chief dignitaries resided- Here in 1838 
the corner stone of the temple was laid, with great ceremony and 
not a little deception- for Smith had foretold that the rock, which was 
of great size, would move at his command. This it apparently did 
do, but actually by means of ropes and pulleys worked through a 
concealed trench, by men at a distance. 

The temple was to occupy a large square in the centre of the 
town, and was approached by four main streets, each one hundred 
feet wide, and was to exceed in magnificence any edifice in the 
United States. The temple was never built, but Far West attained 
a population of three thousand inhabitants, and was for some years 
the county seat of Caldwell County. Now, however, not one stone 
is left upon another, and the farmer's plow turns up their once busy 
streets and desecrates their holy ground. 

In our own county their chief point was a place still known as 
**Dtamond," but hy the '^Mormons" called Adam-ondi-Ahman, which 
we l>elieve means **the grave of Adam." This place is the old Dr, 
Craven's farm now, owned and occupied by Major McDonald, and lies 
about three and a half miles northwest of Gallatin. It is a romantic 
spot, on the east bluff, overlot>king the valley of Grand River; and to 
this day, owing perhaps to fissures in the underlying rock, the 
obaerver may behold the greasy cactus-lined walks of their "garden 
of Eden; laid off with almost mathematical precision. Adam's 



324 



APPENDICES. 



Grave is at the edge of the garden, and is a small momd of broken 
limestone, gravel and soil intermixed. From Diamond to Far West 
the '*Mormons" bad a very fair road, and all along it and interspersed 
through 00 1 the county were many settlers of their faith. 

A trace of wandering, a track of blood and temple building are 
the principal features in the history of this deluded people, deluded 
by a fi!m so thin that even sense might see beyond. Taking their 
rise in the south of New York they soon migrated to Kirtland, Ohio, 
then to Jackson County, Missouri, then to Clay County, then to 
Daviess and Caldwell, then to Nauvoo, Illinois, and thence across the 
plains to Salt Lake, and even now there are rumors of another 
removal In ail these places they hegan to build a temple, and in all 
except the first they left the marks of blood, either their own or shed 
by them. The **Mormons" have always claimed that they were 
peaceable and law-abiding; yes, peaceable when not resisted in their 
outrages, law-abiding when obeying the laws of their prophet. 

They have always claimed that they never shed blood only when 
attacked; but this is stark falsehood, as, witness the work of their 
Danite Destroying Angels, Mountain Meadow Massacre; and even the 
attacks they complain of were always induced by their infamous 
conduct. 

The first cardinal principle in the tenets of their religion, as 
exemplified among our people, was: **The Lord has given the earth 
and the fullness thereof to his saints," the next was» *'We are his 
saints," Thus armed and equipped and incited by their leaders, they 
roamed through the county, took whatever pleased their fancy, car- 
ried it to Diamond and placed it in the '^Lord's storehouse." Noth- 
ing was safe, nothing was exempt from their rapacity, and our 
sturdy pioneers were justly indignant and panting for revenge. 
With them the "Mormon" war meant business, and we find the county 
court on the sixth of March, 1839, allowing an account of twenty- 
one dollars for powder and lead furnished the county during the 
"^Mormon" war. So great was the numerical superiority of the 
"Mormons" that the citizens dared offer no resistance, but were 
simply at their mercy. Ob the 13th of October, 1838, the "Mor- 
mon" Legion formed their line of battle in front of the few houses 
in Gallatin, and ordered the citizens to leave at once. From there 



APPENDICES. 



325 



the legion proceeded to Millport and Issued tlie same order. That 
night the citizens fled by the light of their baniiiig homes, the prin- 
cipal part going to LiTingaton County. When they burned Gallatin 
the "Mormons" robbed the treasury: true, they did not find much 
money, but they took what they could lay their hands on. Shortly 
after this the State militia, under General Parks, entered the county, 
and>the people arose en masse to assist him. Diamond, containing 
perhaps five hundred souls, surrendered without resistance. About 
the same time Smith himself surren^iered Far West, and the war was 
over. 

At the April term, 1839, of our circuit court, indictments for 
treason, arson, riot, burglary, and a host of other crimes were found 
against Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, 
Alexander McRae, W. S. Slade, H. H. B. Belt, Eli Bagley, Wm. 
Aldridge, Alanson Ripley, Amos Lubbs, Perry Durphery, John Lehom- 
on and many others. Moat of them were released on bail, which 
they forfeited, but Smith and the rest of the leaders, being refused 
bail, took a change of venue to Boone County, to which place the 
sheriff was ordered to convey them under military guard. On the 
way the prisoners effected their escape, it is claimed, by bribing 
their guard. 

During the time between the surrender of the "Mormons" and 
the finding of the indictments against them, they had been in custody 
in Clay County, and a claim of foor hundred and eighty dollars for 
guarding them in Liberty jail was presented to our county court, but 
disallowed. The claimants obtained a temporary writ of mandamus, 
which was venued to Caldwell County, and finally passed into 
oblivion. The general assembly on the eleventh day of December, 
1838, appropriated two thousand dollars to relieve the suffering in 
Daviess and Caldwell caused by this "Mormon" war. This was for 
the relief of '*Mormons" as well as others, and M, T, Green was 
appointed relief commissioner for this county. 



326 



APPENDICES. 



APPENDIX IV, 



CALDWELL COUNTY. 



(Bij Crosby Johnson.) 



MORMON emigration.— Shortly prior to the organization of the 
county, the "Mormons," driven from Jackson County, sent J. 
Whitmer and others to select a home in the wilderneaa. Far West 
was chosen, which was approved by The Church antbority. 

Far West,— The site chosen for Far West was a high, rolling 
prairie, visible for a long distance from all directions. The plat of 
the town as laid off embraced a square mile, to-wit: Northeast 
quarter, section fifteen; northwest quarter, action fourteen; south- 
east quarter^ section ten; southwest quarter, section eleven. In the 
center of the town a large square was left as a site for a temple 
which it was their design to erect. The square was approached by 
four main streets, each a hundred feet wide* * * * As 
its population increased, additions to the town were laid out. At 
the time of the '*Mormon" war the population of Far West was 
about two thousand five hundred, and it was the largest town in the 
State north of the Missouri. 

"Mormon" War. — The "Mormons" as a people were honest, soher 
and industrious, but the object of the leaders w^aa to make money 
and obtain power, Joe Smith and his brother Hyrum, with The 
Church funds, purchased of the government large tracts of land 
around Far West, which they did not scruple to sell to their followers 
at exorbitant prices. When the leaders set the example of speculat- 
ing in the devotion of the people, it is scarcely to be wondered at if the 
subordinates went to greater extremes to fill their purses, and if they 
had but little respect for their obligations to each other, they had less 
for the laws of the State or the rights of their Gentile neighbors. Some 



APPENDICES. 



327 



of their daring leaders taught the doctrine that the Lord had given 
the earth and the fullness thereof as an inheritance to his people, and 
they were his people and had a right at pleasure to take what pleased 
their appetite or fancy. At the time of the difficulties in Jackson 
County, Joe Smith organized a band of men called the army of Zion, 
to protect his people against the attacks of their enemies. Among 
these were many who were too lazy to earn a living by the sweat of 
their brow. Desperado and vagabond joined his band for the purpose 
of plundering. Squads of them strolled abotit the county threatening 
the men, intimidating the women, and appropriating in the name of 
the prophet any property which pleased their taste, Aa the "Mor- 
mons" largely outnumbered the Gentiles, they elected to all offices of 
honor and trust persons of their own faith. Smith was careful that 
the persons selected should be subservient to the will of himself and his 
apostles. The Gentiles declared it was impossible for them to get a 
fair hearing before the"Mormon" magistrates and juries; that the trials 
were farces: that the leaders taught and the members acted on the 
principle that a Gentile had no rights that a **Mormon" was bound to 
respect, and that not the merits of the cause, but the creeds of the 
contestants determined which way the scales should turn. 

Whether these complaints were true or false, they were believed 
by many and naturally excited deep indignation against the **Mor- 
mons," Tales of debauchery, theft and murder were told of them» 
and their expulsion from the county demanded. These bitter feel- 
ings engendered broils and riots. Crowds of excited fanatics pelted 
obnoxious Gentiles on the streets of Far West with clubs and stones. 
In retaliation armed Gentiles rode into public meetings where their 
lawless conduct was being denounced, seized the speakers and applied 
the lash until the blood trickled down their backs. Both sides ceased 
to resort to legal methods in the enforcement of their rights. 

Amid so much excitement and insubordination the civil author- 
ities were powerless to enforce the laws and punish offenses. 

Finally, in 1838, the disorder became so great and outrages so 
frequent that the State authorities felt it their duty to interfere. 
Governor Boggs issued a proclamation calling out the militia to aid in 
restoring order and enforcing the laws. The generals in command 
were Generals John B. Clark, David R. Atchison, A. W. Doniphan, 



328 



APPENDICES. 



General DoniphaB's brigade removed to Far West. The main body of 
the army of Zion ^nder the command of G. M. Hiokle, whom Smith 
designated as commander in chief of the "Mormon*' forces, was held 
in reserve to act as emergencies might require. Smaller forces were 
thrown forward to guard the approaches from the south and the east. 

Haun's Mill— On the thirtieth of October an engagement was 
fought at Hann's Mill on Shoal Creek, south of Beckenridge. At that 
point a "Mormon" outpost entrenched in the mill and a blacksmith 
shop was attacked by the Livmgston Connty militia under Captain 
Comstock. After a brief struggle the "Mormons" threw down their 
arms in token of surrender, but one of the militiamen, being savagely 
wounded^ his comrades were so enraged that their officer was unable 
to check them until eighteen of the "Mormons" were killed and a 
number wounded. Haun, the proprietor of the mill, was killed and 
with the rest of the dead buried in a well 'that stood near by. 

"Mormon" Exodus, — The surrender took place in November, Thft 
days were cold and bleak, but the clamor for the instant removal of 
the "Mormons'* was so great that the old and young, the sick and feeble» 
delicate women and suckling children, almost without food and without 
clothing were compelled to abandon their homes and firesides to eeek 
new homes in a distant State, Valuable farms were sold for a yoke of 
oxen, an old wagon or anything that would furnish means of trans- 
portation. Many of the poorer classes were compelled to walk. Be- 
fore half their journey was accomplished the chilly blasts of winter 
howled about them and added to their general discomfort. The suf- 
fering they endured on this forced march though great, was soon for- 
gotten in the prosperity of Nauvoo, their new asylum. Their trials 
and sufferings instead of dampening the ardor of theSaints, increased 
it ten fold. "The blood of the martyrs became the seed of The 
Church," 

The exodus of the "Mormons" reduced the population of the 
connty from six thousand to less than one thousand; but the deserted 
farms and houses offered inducements to emigration that were not 
despised and new settlers rapidly filled the places of the departed 
ones. 

Visions.— If that Strang people who built Nanvoo and Salt Lake, 
who uncomplainingly toiled across the American Desert and made the 



APPENDICES. 329 

wilderness of Utah bloom like a garden, had been permitted to re- 
main and perfect the work which they had begun here, how different 
would have been the history of Far West. Instead of being a farm 
with scarcely sufficient ruins to mark the spot where it once stood, 
there would have been a rich populous city, along the streets of which 
would be pouring the wealth of the world, and instead of an old 
dilapidated farm house there would have been magnificent temples, to 
which devout Saints from the farthest corners of the world would 
have made their yearly pilgrimages. But the bigotry and intolerance 
of the Saints toward the Gentiles and especially toward dissenters 
from the new revelations of Joe Smith, rendered such a consumma- 
tion impossible. 



21 



330 APPENDICES. 



APPENDIX V. 

"mormon" difficulties. 

(History of Missouri, Union Historical Society, 1881.) 

IN 1832, Joseph Smith, the leader of the "Mormons," and the chosen 
prophet and apostle, as he claimed, of the Most High, came with 
many followers to Jackson CountyJ Missouri, where they located and 
entered several thousand acres of land. 

The object of his coming so far west — upon the very outskirts 
of civilization at that time— was to more securely establish his Church, 
and the more effectively to instruct his followers in its peculiar tenets 
and practices. 

Upon the present town site of Independence the "Mormons" lo- 
cated their "Zion," and gave it the name of "New Jerusalem." They 
published here The Evening Star, and made themselves generally 
obnoxious to the Gentiles who were then in a minority, by their de- 
nunciatory articles through their paper, their clannishness and their 
polygamous practices.* 



* Although the work from which the above record is quoted is 
quite a pretentious history consisting of ioo6 pages, yet it apparently 
has no regard for consistency of statement, for while it is said on page 
47, that this Church (of Jesus Christ of Ivitter-day Saints — "Mormon") 
made themselves generally obnoxious by their polygamous practices, 
on page 269 the following occurs, speaking of the difference between 
the so-called Josephite Church, who now have a congregation and 
church building in Independence, Mo., and the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints: **This church, * * * (i. e., Josephite 
Church,) has kept an active ministry at work in Utah, endeavoring to 
disabuse the * Mormons' of that Territory of the dogma of polygamy, 
which they assert to be no part of primitive Mormon ism; and from 



APPENDICES. 331 

Dreading the demoralizing influence of a paper which seemed to 
be inspired only with hatred and malice toward them, the Gentiles 
threw the press and type into the Missouri River, tarred and feath- 
ered one of their Bishops, and otherwise gave the "Mormons" 
and their leaders to understand that they must conduct themselves in 
an entirely different manner if they wished to be left alone. 

After the destruction of their paper and press, they became fur- 
iously incensed, and sought many opportunities for retaliation. Mat- 
ters continued in an uncertain condition until the 31st of October, 
1833, when a deadly conflict occurred near Westport, in which two 
Gentiles and one "Mormon" were killed. 

On the second of November following the "Mormons" were over- 
powered and compelled to lay down their arms and agree to leave the 
county with their families by January 1st on the condition that the 
owner would be paid for }iis printing press. 

Leaving Jackson County, they crossed the Missouri and located 
in Clay, Carroll, Caldwell and other counties, and selected in Caldwell 
County a town site, which they called "Far West," and where they 
entered more land for their future homes. 

Through the influence of their missionaries, who were exerting 
themselves in the east and in different portions of Europe, converts 
had constantly flocked to their standard, and Far West, and other 
"Mormon" settlements, rapidly prospered. « 

In 1837 they commenced the erection of a magnificent temple 
but never finished it. As their settlements increased in numbers they 
became bolder in the practices and deeds of lawlessness. 

During the summer of 1838, two of their leaders settled in the 
town of DeWitt, on the Missouri River, having purchased the land 
from an Illinois merchant. DeWitt was in Carroll County, and a good 
point from which to forward goods and emigrants to their town — Far 
West. 



the history of the sect during its stay in Missouri from 1835 to 1838, it 
would appear that these organizers are correct; for not a single charge 
of such dogma being held or taught appears in the many statements 
made against them, or in the published orders and reports of the 
officers engaged in expelling them from the State." 



APPENDICES. 



Upon its being aacertained that these parties were * 'Mormon" 
leaders the Gentiles called a public meeting, which waa addressed by 
some of the prominent citizens of the county. Nothing, however, 
was done at this meeting, but at a subsequent meeting, which was 
held a few days afterward, a committee of citizens was appointed to 
notify Colonel Hinkle (ono of the '^Mormon" leaders at De Witt,) what 
they intended to do. 

Colonel Hinkle upon being notified by this committee became in- 
dignant, and threatened extermination to all who should attempt to 
molest him or the Saints. 

In anticipation of trouble, and believing that the Gentiles would 
attempt to force them from De Witt, '^Mormon" recruits flocked to the 
town from every direction, and pitched their tents in and around the 
town in great numbers. 

The Gentiles^ nothing daunted, planned an attack upon this en- 
campment, to take place on the 21st of September, 1838, and, ac- 
cordingly, one hundred and fifty men bivouacked near the town on 
that day, A conflict ensued, but nothing serious occurred. 

The ''Mormons" evacuated their works and fled to some log 
houses, where they could the more successfully resist the Gentiles, who 
had in the meantime returned to their camp to await reinforcements. 
Troops from Howard, Ray and other counties came to their assist- 
ance, and increased their number to five hundred men. 

Congreve Jackson was chosen brigadier-general; Ebenezer Price, 
colonel; Singleton Vaughn, lieutenant-colonel, and Sashel Woods, major^ 
After some days of discipline, this brigade prepared for an assault, 
but before the attack was commenced Judge James Earickson and 
William F. Dunnica, influential citizens of Howard County, asked per- 
mission of General Jackson to let them try and adjust the difficulties 
without bloodshed. 

It was finally agreed that Judge Earickson should propose to the 
"Mormons'* that, if they would pay for all the cattle they had killed be- 
longing to the citizens, and load their wagons during the night and be 
ready to move by ten o'clock next morning, and make no further 
attempt to settle in Howard County, the citizens would purchase at 
first cost their lots in DeWitt, and one or two adjoining tracts of 
land. 



APPENDICES. 333 

Colonel Hinkle, the leader of the "Mormons," at first refused all 
attempts to settle the difficulties in this way, but finally agreed to 
the proposition. 

In accordance therewith, the "Mormons," without further delay, 
loaded, up their wagons for the town of Far West, in Caldwell County. 
Whether the terms of the agreement were ever carried out, on the 
part of the citizens, it is not known. 

The "Mormons" had doubtless suffered much and in many ways — 
the result of their own acts — but their trials and sufferings were not 
At an end. 

In 1838 the discord between the citizens and the "Mormons" be- 
came so great that Governor Boggs issued a proclamation ordering 
Major-General David R. Atchison to call the militia of his division to 
enforce the laws. He called out a part of the first brigade of the 
Missouri State Militia, under the command of General A. W. Doni- 
phan, who proceeded to the seat of war. General John 6. Clark, of 
Howard County, was placed in command of the militia. 

The "Mormon" forces numbered about 1,000 men, and were led by 
•G. W. Hinkle. The first engagement occurred at Crooked River, 
where one "Mormon" was killed. The principle fight took place at 
Haun's Mill, where eighteen "Mormons" were killed and the balance 
captured, some of them being killed after they had surrendered. Only 
-one militiaman was wounded. 

In the month of October, 1838, Joe Smith surrendered the town 
•of Far West to General Doniphan, agreeing to his conditions, viz: 
That they should deliver up their arms, surrender their prominent 
leaders for trial, and the remainder of the "Mormons" should, with 
their families, leave the State. Indictments were found against a 
number of these leaders including Joe Smith, who, while being taken 
to Boone County for trial, made his escape, and was afterward, in 
1844, killed at Carthage, Illinois, with his brother Hyrum. 



I